Three former business secretaries from different parties have accused Rishi Sunak of failing to prepare Britain for the future with an effective or even visible industrial strategy.
Greg Clark, a former Conservative business secretary, said the prime minister was so unenthusiastic about the idea that it was “like a guilty secret”, and that he had never heard Sunak even refer to “industrial strategy”.
Ministers insist the government has a number of policies to support industries of the future. But the Labour party and business leaders have warned that in areas such as electric vehicles and battery production, the UK is falling far behind.