Theresa May banged the drum for post-Brexit Britain in a speech to the power elite in Davos today - but also took them to task for failing to heed fears about immigration and inequality.
In an outspoken ultimatum to corporate titans and politicians at the annual gathering in non-EU Switzerland, the Prime Minister said they had 'ignored the legitimate concerns' of the public for too long.
The far left and far right were offering 'easy answers' and feeding off the sense that struggling families are being left behind while the wealthy thrive.
Mrs May made clear the bosses had to pay their taxes - insisting they had to 'play by the same rules as everyone else'.
But the premier also made a broad pitch to position the UK as a champion of free trade and commerce, saying the country now had a 'unique opportunity' to lead a new agenda for social justice.
Meanwhile, Theresa May's 12-point blueprint for Brexit is backed by a ratio of more than two to one, a poll revealed today.
Nearly half of voters also backed her threat to walk away from negotiations and her stance that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’.
PM bangs the drum for post-Brexit Britain in speech to power elite in Davos but delivers stark warning that they MUST heed anger about immigration and inequality
PM has delivered a speech in Davos to stress the UK remains outward-looking
Insisted Brexit does not mean the country is closing its doors to business
But said elite had 'ignored legitimate concerns' of the public for too long
Speech comes as HSBC give strongest sign yet they will move jobs from City
But Barclays boss has insisted London will remain financial capital of Europe
Remainers George Osborne and David Cameron have also been at the power gathering
By James Tapsfield, Political Editor For Mailonline and Matt Dathan, Political Correspondent For Mailonline
19 January 2017
Daily Mail
Theresa May banged the drum for post-Brexit Britain in a speech to the power elite in Davos today - but also took them to task for failing to heed fears about immigration and inequality.
In an outspoken ultimatum to corporate titans and politicians at the annual gathering, the Prime Minister said they had 'ignored the legitimate concerns' of the public for too long.
The far left and far right were offering 'easy answers' and feeding off the sense that struggling families are being left behind while the wealthy thrive.
Mrs May made clear the bosses had to pay their taxes - insisting they had to 'play by the same rules as everyone else'.
But the premier also made a broad pitch to position the UK as a champion of free trade and commerce, saying the country now had a 'unique opportunity' to lead a new agenda for social justice.
The speech appeared to get a lukewarm response from the hall at the World Economic Forum - where the big players are not used to being told they have failed.
Theresa May insisted the UK is open for business as she gave her speech in Davos this morning
The Prime Minister also confronted the power elite over their failure to address the concerns of the public about the impact of globalisation
But the attitude of the corporate bosses and bankers at the annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort could be crucial to the UK's prospects.
As the implications of the PM's bold Brexit speech this week continued to reverberate:
In her address, Mrs May said the 'forces of liberalism, free trade and globalisation' had harnessed 'unprecedented levels of wealth and opportunity' and 'lifted millions out of poverty around the world'.
But she warned: ‘Forces that underpin the rules-based international system that is key to global prosperity and security are somehow at risk of being undermined.
‘And as we meet here this morning, across Europe parties of the far left and the far right are seeking to exploit this opportunity, gathering support by feeding off an underlying and keenly-felt sense among some people – often those on modest-to-low incomes living in relatively rich countries around the West – that these forces are not working for them.
‘Those parties who embrace the politics of division and despair, who offer easy answers, who claim to understand people’s problems and always know what and who to blame, feed off something else too – the sense among the public that mainstream political and business leaders have failed to comprehend their legitimate concerns for too long.’
In a particularly stern passage, the PM underlined her determination to lead an 'active' government that ensured wealth was shared more fairly.
Swiping at companies who have been dodging taxes, she pointed out the public's faith in the behaviour of businesses was very low and they must do their bit.
'It means playing by the same rules as everyone else when it comes to tax and behaviour, because in the UK trust in business runs at just 35 per cent among those in the lowest income brackets,' she said.
'It means putting aside short-term considerations and investing in people and communities for the long-term.'
The premier said Brexit was giving the UK a 'unique opportunity' to spearhead change.
The country 'will step up to a new leadership role as the strongest and most forceful advocate for business, free markets and free trade anywhere in the world'.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte warned that the UK would pay a 'huge price' for putting control of immigration above membership of the single market.
'(The UK) is now making a choice to control migration, and they are paying a huge price because the economic growth rate of the UK will be impacted negatively by the fact that it will leave the biggest market in the world,' he said at a fringe event in Davos.
'So they are willing to pay the price, but it has also a consequence for the rest of Europe but particularly for the UK.'
Mrs May could bump into some ghosts from the past while in Davos, as both David Cameron and George Osborne are attending.
Both men have had lucrative speaking engagements - with Mr Cameron lecturing at a private dinner held by accounting firm PwC last night and Mr Osborne starring at an exclusive HSBC event.
The PM said Brexit was giving the UK a 'unique opportunity' to spearhead change and champion free trade
Former chancellor George Osborne has also been in Davos, where he was pictured rubbing shoulders with celebrities including George and Amal Clooney. He is believed to have lined up lucrative corporate events
Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne were also understood to be on the guest list for a party hosted by their old friend PR guru Matthew Freud at the mountain-top Schatzalp hotel last night.
Mr Cameron, who used last year's stage to make the case for staying in the EU, is only speaking at events on the fringe this year and has embarrassingly become the butt of some jokes.
Luiz Carlos Trabuco Cappi, the president of Brazilian bank Bradesco, said: 'A year ago, those who shone in the hallways here included the former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Who thought Brexit was going to happen?'
The going rate for the pair's speaking engagements is likely to be up to £100,000.
Both Remainers have raked in hundreds of thousands of pounds for corporate speeches since being brutally evicted from Downing Street in the wake of the historic EU referendum.
Since being booted out of office, Mr Osborne has declared earning more than £600,000 on top of his £74,000 MP's salary.
Mrs May had to duck under a low curtain as she emerged on to the stage in Davos
TV chef Jamie Oliver posted pictures on his Facebook page of him chatting with Shakira in Davos
And Mr Cameron got £120,000 for a single speech to Wall Street financiers in November.
Meanwhile, Mrs May has urged people to 'stop fighting the battles of the past' and accept the UK is going to leave the European Union.
Saying the government will unveil a 'modern industrial strategy next week, she painted it as part of her plan to turn post-Brexit Britain into a 'great meritocracy' and create a 'more united nation'.
She said her Brexit plan – leaving the single market but seeking a comprehensive free trade deal with Brussels – would result in a 'new and equal partnership between an independent, self-governing, global Britain and our friends and allies in the EU'.
Shakira tweeted a picture of her discussing education with former PM Gordon Brown in Davos
The PM had chosen to wear some of her favourite leopard-print shoes for the World Economic Forum speech
But the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt warned it was an 'illusion' to suggest the UK could leave the EU but retain the benefits of tariff-free trade.
Mrs May, who is keen to ensure her administration is not dominated by Brexit, said her approach was part of a wider plan 'to shape the country we want to be when we have left the EU'.
She said: 'Our modern industrial strategy, which we will publish next week, will lay the foundations to build a more prosperous and more equal Britain.
'We will spread wealth and opportunity across every community. And we will help young people to develop the skills they need to do the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future.
'We will create a fairer society by breaking down the barriers of privilege and making Britain a great meritocracy where success is defined by work and talent, not birth or circumstance.
'This will include going further in reforming our schools and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive in a post-Brexit Britain.'
A Downing Street spokeswoman said of the Davos speech: 'I think it will be an opportunity for her primarily to engage with a wide range of business leaders and inward investors from around the world, talking to them about the Government's plan for Brexit, the type of relationship we will be seeking with the EU moving forward, the opportunities of strengthening our trading relationships with other countries and the benefits that that can bring for business.'
UK ALREADY 'IN TALKS WITH 12 COUNTRIES' OVER POST-BREXIT TRADE DEALS
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox
Britain has already started trade talks with a dozen countries in preparation for Brexit, Liam Fox has said.
The International Trade Secretary is laying the groundwork for deals to be announced as soon as we leave the EU.
The prospective partners include China, India, Australia and South Korea, as well as Middle East states such as Saudi Arabia and Oman.
In an article for the Telegraph, Dr Fox said: ‘When we leave we will want to develop new arrangements with countries like Australia, New Zealand and India.
‘We are conducting trade audits with a number of countries to see how we can remove barriers to trade and investment to our mutual benefit.’
‘There is such a big world for us to do business with, and we intend to do just that. We should do so with considerable self-confidence.’
The comments are likely to enrage EU leaders, as under the bloc's strict rules the UK is banned from entering formal trade talks before formally cutting ties.
US President-elect Donald Trump said this week that he wanted to do a 'great' trade deal with the UK as quickly as possible.
PM's Brexit demands are BACKED by public but only one in five think the EU will agree
Theresa May's 12-point blueprint for Brexit is backed by a ratio of more than two to one, a poll revealed today.
Nearly half of voters also backed her threat to walk away from negotiations and her stance that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’.
But only one in five believe EU leaders will agree to Mrs May’s demands.
Theresa May's 12-point blueprint for Brexit is backed by a ratio of more than two to one, a poll revealed today
More than half (56 per cent) think EU member states will reject her blueprint, while one in four are unsure.
In today's YouGov poll for The Times, all of Mrs May's key negotiating points were met with a majority of support.
A majority (57 per cent) support leaving Europe's single market, while 56 per cent back leaving the customs union, which allows tariff-free trade across the continent.
Nearly half of voters (47 per cent) are confident in Mrs May's negotiating skills, according to the poll, while 38 per cent are not.
In an outspoken ultimatum to corporate titans and politicians at the annual gathering in non-EU Switzerland, the Prime Minister said they had 'ignored the legitimate concerns' of the public for too long.
The far left and far right were offering 'easy answers' and feeding off the sense that struggling families are being left behind while the wealthy thrive.
Mrs May made clear the bosses had to pay their taxes - insisting they had to 'play by the same rules as everyone else'.
But the premier also made a broad pitch to position the UK as a champion of free trade and commerce, saying the country now had a 'unique opportunity' to lead a new agenda for social justice.
Meanwhile, Theresa May's 12-point blueprint for Brexit is backed by a ratio of more than two to one, a poll revealed today.
Nearly half of voters also backed her threat to walk away from negotiations and her stance that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’.
PM bangs the drum for post-Brexit Britain in speech to power elite in Davos but delivers stark warning that they MUST heed anger about immigration and inequality
PM has delivered a speech in Davos to stress the UK remains outward-looking
Insisted Brexit does not mean the country is closing its doors to business
But said elite had 'ignored legitimate concerns' of the public for too long
Speech comes as HSBC give strongest sign yet they will move jobs from City
But Barclays boss has insisted London will remain financial capital of Europe
Remainers George Osborne and David Cameron have also been at the power gathering
By James Tapsfield, Political Editor For Mailonline and Matt Dathan, Political Correspondent For Mailonline
19 January 2017
Daily Mail
Theresa May banged the drum for post-Brexit Britain in a speech to the power elite in Davos today - but also took them to task for failing to heed fears about immigration and inequality.
In an outspoken ultimatum to corporate titans and politicians at the annual gathering, the Prime Minister said they had 'ignored the legitimate concerns' of the public for too long.
The far left and far right were offering 'easy answers' and feeding off the sense that struggling families are being left behind while the wealthy thrive.
Mrs May made clear the bosses had to pay their taxes - insisting they had to 'play by the same rules as everyone else'.
But the premier also made a broad pitch to position the UK as a champion of free trade and commerce, saying the country now had a 'unique opportunity' to lead a new agenda for social justice.
The speech appeared to get a lukewarm response from the hall at the World Economic Forum - where the big players are not used to being told they have failed.
Theresa May insisted the UK is open for business as she gave her speech in Davos this morning
The Prime Minister also confronted the power elite over their failure to address the concerns of the public about the impact of globalisation
But the attitude of the corporate bosses and bankers at the annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort could be crucial to the UK's prospects.
As the implications of the PM's bold Brexit speech this week continued to reverberate:
- HSBC has indicated 1,000 jobs from the bank's London business are on course to move to Paris, while Switzerland's UBS is also preparing to move posts from the UK to the continent.
- But Mrs May has been boosted by the the boss of Barclays making clear it believes the City of London will remain the financial capital of Europe. And JP Morgan has said that investors are still 'upbeat' about the UK's prospects.
- IMF chief Christine Lagarde has resumed her doom-mongering about Brexit by warning of years of 'pain' to come.
- EU leaders have insisted Britain will have to settle a 'divorce' bill of up to £60billion before they even start talking about a trade deal.
- International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has said the UK is already in disucssions with 12 countries over deals that could be sealed straight after we formally leave the EU.
In her address, Mrs May said the 'forces of liberalism, free trade and globalisation' had harnessed 'unprecedented levels of wealth and opportunity' and 'lifted millions out of poverty around the world'.
But she warned: ‘Forces that underpin the rules-based international system that is key to global prosperity and security are somehow at risk of being undermined.
‘And as we meet here this morning, across Europe parties of the far left and the far right are seeking to exploit this opportunity, gathering support by feeding off an underlying and keenly-felt sense among some people – often those on modest-to-low incomes living in relatively rich countries around the West – that these forces are not working for them.
‘Those parties who embrace the politics of division and despair, who offer easy answers, who claim to understand people’s problems and always know what and who to blame, feed off something else too – the sense among the public that mainstream political and business leaders have failed to comprehend their legitimate concerns for too long.’
In a particularly stern passage, the PM underlined her determination to lead an 'active' government that ensured wealth was shared more fairly.
Swiping at companies who have been dodging taxes, she pointed out the public's faith in the behaviour of businesses was very low and they must do their bit.
'It means playing by the same rules as everyone else when it comes to tax and behaviour, because in the UK trust in business runs at just 35 per cent among those in the lowest income brackets,' she said.
'It means putting aside short-term considerations and investing in people and communities for the long-term.'
The premier said Brexit was giving the UK a 'unique opportunity' to spearhead change.
The country 'will step up to a new leadership role as the strongest and most forceful advocate for business, free markets and free trade anywhere in the world'.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte warned that the UK would pay a 'huge price' for putting control of immigration above membership of the single market.
'(The UK) is now making a choice to control migration, and they are paying a huge price because the economic growth rate of the UK will be impacted negatively by the fact that it will leave the biggest market in the world,' he said at a fringe event in Davos.
'So they are willing to pay the price, but it has also a consequence for the rest of Europe but particularly for the UK.'
Mrs May could bump into some ghosts from the past while in Davos, as both David Cameron and George Osborne are attending.
Both men have had lucrative speaking engagements - with Mr Cameron lecturing at a private dinner held by accounting firm PwC last night and Mr Osborne starring at an exclusive HSBC event.
The PM said Brexit was giving the UK a 'unique opportunity' to spearhead change and champion free trade
Former chancellor George Osborne has also been in Davos, where he was pictured rubbing shoulders with celebrities including George and Amal Clooney. He is believed to have lined up lucrative corporate events
Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne were also understood to be on the guest list for a party hosted by their old friend PR guru Matthew Freud at the mountain-top Schatzalp hotel last night.
Mr Cameron, who used last year's stage to make the case for staying in the EU, is only speaking at events on the fringe this year and has embarrassingly become the butt of some jokes.
Luiz Carlos Trabuco Cappi, the president of Brazilian bank Bradesco, said: 'A year ago, those who shone in the hallways here included the former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Who thought Brexit was going to happen?'
The going rate for the pair's speaking engagements is likely to be up to £100,000.
Both Remainers have raked in hundreds of thousands of pounds for corporate speeches since being brutally evicted from Downing Street in the wake of the historic EU referendum.
Since being booted out of office, Mr Osborne has declared earning more than £600,000 on top of his £74,000 MP's salary.
Mrs May had to duck under a low curtain as she emerged on to the stage in Davos
TV chef Jamie Oliver posted pictures on his Facebook page of him chatting with Shakira in Davos
And Mr Cameron got £120,000 for a single speech to Wall Street financiers in November.
Meanwhile, Mrs May has urged people to 'stop fighting the battles of the past' and accept the UK is going to leave the European Union.
Saying the government will unveil a 'modern industrial strategy next week, she painted it as part of her plan to turn post-Brexit Britain into a 'great meritocracy' and create a 'more united nation'.
She said her Brexit plan – leaving the single market but seeking a comprehensive free trade deal with Brussels – would result in a 'new and equal partnership between an independent, self-governing, global Britain and our friends and allies in the EU'.
Shakira tweeted a picture of her discussing education with former PM Gordon Brown in Davos
The PM had chosen to wear some of her favourite leopard-print shoes for the World Economic Forum speech
But the European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt warned it was an 'illusion' to suggest the UK could leave the EU but retain the benefits of tariff-free trade.
Mrs May, who is keen to ensure her administration is not dominated by Brexit, said her approach was part of a wider plan 'to shape the country we want to be when we have left the EU'.
She said: 'Our modern industrial strategy, which we will publish next week, will lay the foundations to build a more prosperous and more equal Britain.
'We will spread wealth and opportunity across every community. And we will help young people to develop the skills they need to do the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future.
'We will create a fairer society by breaking down the barriers of privilege and making Britain a great meritocracy where success is defined by work and talent, not birth or circumstance.
'This will include going further in reforming our schools and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive in a post-Brexit Britain.'
A Downing Street spokeswoman said of the Davos speech: 'I think it will be an opportunity for her primarily to engage with a wide range of business leaders and inward investors from around the world, talking to them about the Government's plan for Brexit, the type of relationship we will be seeking with the EU moving forward, the opportunities of strengthening our trading relationships with other countries and the benefits that that can bring for business.'
UK ALREADY 'IN TALKS WITH 12 COUNTRIES' OVER POST-BREXIT TRADE DEALS
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox
Britain has already started trade talks with a dozen countries in preparation for Brexit, Liam Fox has said.
The International Trade Secretary is laying the groundwork for deals to be announced as soon as we leave the EU.
The prospective partners include China, India, Australia and South Korea, as well as Middle East states such as Saudi Arabia and Oman.
In an article for the Telegraph, Dr Fox said: ‘When we leave we will want to develop new arrangements with countries like Australia, New Zealand and India.
‘We are conducting trade audits with a number of countries to see how we can remove barriers to trade and investment to our mutual benefit.’
‘There is such a big world for us to do business with, and we intend to do just that. We should do so with considerable self-confidence.’
The comments are likely to enrage EU leaders, as under the bloc's strict rules the UK is banned from entering formal trade talks before formally cutting ties.
US President-elect Donald Trump said this week that he wanted to do a 'great' trade deal with the UK as quickly as possible.
PM's Brexit demands are BACKED by public but only one in five think the EU will agree
Theresa May's 12-point blueprint for Brexit is backed by a ratio of more than two to one, a poll revealed today.
Nearly half of voters also backed her threat to walk away from negotiations and her stance that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’.
But only one in five believe EU leaders will agree to Mrs May’s demands.
Theresa May's 12-point blueprint for Brexit is backed by a ratio of more than two to one, a poll revealed today
More than half (56 per cent) think EU member states will reject her blueprint, while one in four are unsure.
In today's YouGov poll for The Times, all of Mrs May's key negotiating points were met with a majority of support.
A majority (57 per cent) support leaving Europe's single market, while 56 per cent back leaving the customs union, which allows tariff-free trade across the continent.
Nearly half of voters (47 per cent) are confident in Mrs May's negotiating skills, according to the poll, while 38 per cent are not.
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