Rishi Sunak’s government ‘going backwards’ on green growth, CBI chief warns

Business group warns of slump in investment and productivity as UK mired in ‘stagflation’

The country has no plan for green growth, economic inactivity, childcare, workforce skills or immigration, says CBI director-general Tony Danker (PA Archive)

The head of Britain’s biggest business organisation has warned that the government is “going backwards” on the green growth agenda which provides the best opportunity to lift the country out of recession over the coming years.

Tony Danker, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said that businesses were “confused and disappointed” over the failure of Rishi Sunak’s government to foster green growth measures such as lifting the ban on onshore wind farms in England – a move that has divided the party – and making the City of London a global centre for sustainable finance.

Mr Danker’s warning comes as the group released a sombre analysis of the outlook for the UK’s economy, sharply cutting forecasts for growth and predicting that productivity and business investment will remain below pre-Covid trends until the end of 2024.