Confederation of British Industry (CBI) wants the government to “give teeth” to Lord Andrew Adonis’s National Infrastructure Commission so it can approve airport expansion and other major projects
Britain's biggest business group is calling on the government to “give teeth” to a new body set up to oversee large-scale infrastructure projects, warning that the National Infrastructure Commission “cannot afford to be way-laid by politics”.
In a new report out today, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) sets out its recommendations for the commission, which was first announced by chancellor George Osborne at the Conservative party conference last year. The group will be led by Lord Andrew Adonis, a former minister under Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The CBI said the commission should prioritise projects including delivering a secure, low-carbon energy supply and preparing for the 5G mobile connectivity, but CBI business environment director Rhian Kelly added that whatever the group focuses on, it should “not [be] blown off course by politics”: “This independent body must be given strong teeth by politicians so that it can recommend significant infrastructure decisions, like building a new runway in the southeast.”