The future of the United Kingdom and how it will affect our country was the central theme of the debate in this meeting led by David Mathieson (Labour Party), Gabriel Reyes (geopolitical analyst) and Anna Bosch (TVE), with the participation of important figures from the business and economic world.
PROA Communicationa consultancy firm specialising in designing, managing and consolidating the communication and corporate reputation of institutions and companies, as well as of senior executives, has held a new edition of its Current Affairs Dialogues with the participation of David Mathieson (Labour Party representative), Gabriel Reyes (Geopolitical Analyst at IE Business School)and moderated by Anna Bosch (journalist and correspondent for TVE).
Anna Bosch began the dialogue by recalling that the latest polls point to a clear victory for the Labour Party, far behind the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrat Party. She asked the experts whether the possible government led by Sir Keir Starmer could translate into a continuity of New Labour, heir to the third way of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. David Mathieson pointed out that Starmer is a "politician by conviction. If he sets his mind to something, he achieves it". Mathieson also pointed out that the balance of the 14 years of Tory government has been "a real disaster for the UK", and added that "The Conservative government, with so many prime ministers, is characterised by its inefficiency, its lack of cohesion and the absence of valuable proposals. David Cameron, for example, has been the number one criminal of the Tory government". For his part, Reyes considered that "the Conservatives have done enormous damage to the pillars of the British welfare state, and there are many debts to be settled".
Another of the important issues underlying the future British Parliament is the question of whether there is any possibility of the UK returning to the European Union. In this respect, Gabriel Reyes has stated that "everything points to there being a review of Brexit, but oriented towards a policy of greater collaboration with the EU. Although a large part of the electorate considers that Brexit was a mistake, this does not mean that they want to return to the EU at the present time". The Labour representative confirmed in this respect that considering that the UK could return to Europe "is madness". In this respect, Bosch asked about the option of "moving from a hard Brexit to a soft Brexit" and what measures such a move would entail, to which Mathieson responded that international security "is dead in the current model, and we are now moving towards a model of trusted partners. The renegotiation with the EU next year will undoubtedly involve a rapprochement between the parties, but it will be key to the success of the economy", he added.
With regard to the future of labour mobility for EU citizens and the possible increase in the activity of Spanish companies, the experts predict growth. Mathieson maintains that Spanish businessmen will "benefit because the new government will be committed to a country that makes life easier for companies, which will "undoubtedly" benefit Spain. Likewise, he considered that Keir Starmer's party "is pro bussinessWe are going to make things easier for the economic growth of all companies and we will go hand in hand with businesses and trade unions". For his part, Reyes pointed out that in the Labour programme "there is a very strong commitment to public-private collaboration, out of conviction and necessity".
Similarly, Mathieson wanted to make it clear that the possible Labour government "is not going to enter the European single market or the Customs Union". For his part, Reyes pointed out that "there is a willingness on the part of the EU to modify labour mobility with the UK, but Labour's official discourse is to follow the protectionist path of the British labour model. There is currently a complex system of obstacles that makes it difficult to work in the UK". For the geopolitical analyst, "international trade is vital for the British government, and we cannot forget that Spanish companies generate 130,000 jobs in the UK".
The speakers pointed out that 4 million Britons will retire in the next 5 years and the UK needs to plan how to fill the gap in the labour market. "One of the problems is that British workers are paid 10% less than their French counterparts and 20% less than their German counterparts," said Mathieson. "We cannot continue to invest in cheap labour. To be more competitive this situation has to be reversed by investing heavily in technology, which is what the Labour Party is committed to," he added. Reyes considered that sectors such as aeronautics and defence, in which the UK is a leader, "will benefit greatly from the Labour government and will attract a lot of talent from other countries".
The Current Affairs Dialogues PROA Comunicación brings together key figures from the economic, political, media and cultural spheres with business people, executives and opinion leaders to contribute to a deeper knowledge of reality, and to foster an in-depth understanding of the issues that lead the news agenda.
