Withdrawal from the EU provides a necessity and an opportunity to illustrate that the UK is “open for business”.
The most important sector is one usually ignored. Small firms constitute 99 per cent of all business in the country.
As a former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, I am uneasy about the bail-out of Flybe. Every time a private business is bailed out by the taxpayer, the pressure grows.
There is a good reason why they have rejected all limiting amendments to the Withdrawal Agreement, and are making legislative provision for swift divergence.
Talk of more competition can be naïve if the choice simply amounts to either buying from a national monopoly or making an off-the-shelf purchase from the USA.
The confederation has wielded considerable influence over the last 30 years. But other, more entrepreneurial voices, must be heard, too.
One essential Bank of England chart illustrates what went wrong, beyond reasonable doubt.
However, I do fear that in certain areas it hands too much power to a regulator which is just as prone to mistakes as those it supervises.
The Business Secretary argues that Parliament’s actions are “discouraging businesses from taking the steps they need to take”, and holding up private sector investment.
We should counter their crude and authoritarian plan proposals with a progressive plan for flexible working which better suits the modern workforce.
So, there is a choice: either we leave with No Deal… or we preserve our future fiscal space – we cannot do both.
The David and Goliath struggle between the Metric Martyrs and EU harmonisation could yet have a happy ending.
At the same time, my research shows some of the hurdles any theoretical new movement will have to cross if it is to survive contact with reality.
This is the final article in a three-part series on using technology to boost our economy after Brexit.