The Department for Business and Trade has named former Mace executive-turned-MP Mike Reader as its business champion for construction.
The Labour representative for Northampton South said he will host a series of events in Westminster to hear from the industry.
Reader was elected last summer after a long campaign undertaken alongside his busy job as Mace work-winning director.
He said on LinkedIn yesterday (10 February): “I’m delighted to be appointed as the new business champion for construction.
“Effective business engagement is critical to the success of our growth mission.
“As champion, I’ll be hosting a series of round table events in Westminster to hear industry views on government policy and the forthcoming Industrial Strategy.”
The first of these, aimed at SMEs and tier two contractors in the infrastructure sector, will take place later this month.
Reader became the new chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure last November. He also advises the Labour Infrastructure Forum, which was set up by the government last September.
Rico Wojtulewicz, head of policy at the National Federation of Builders, welcomed the “fantastic” appointment.
He said Reader had already proved “every bit as supportive and knowledgeable” as his predecessor in Northampton South, Tory MP Andrew Lewer, who chaired an all-party group on SME housebuilders.
“Mike is well versed in the challenges, but we hope to convince him that late payment, enabling pipeline opportunities, procurement access, skills strategy, regulation with considerable unintended consequences and systems-thinking planning reform are key to championing SMEs, supporting construction and delivering sustainable growth,” added Wojtulewicz.
Suzannah Nichol, chief executive of Build UK, said it was great to have someone from the industry in government.
“He understands the challenges of the business environment to the construction sector, which encompasses everything from building significant new pieces of integrated infrastructure to maintaining the homes we live in,” she said.
“We have already shared our 5Ps to Power up Construction with Mike and look forward to him championing the need for clarity, certainty and consistency, which will help the industry realise its full potential and the government to deliver on its ambitions of economic growth.”
Meanwhile, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds held a virtual roundtable on Monday (10 February) with more than 50 chief executives from across the construction and planning industries.
The Department for Business and Trade said the meeting “focused on unblocking barriers to growth and driving investment”.
