Attracting investment is all about sending the right signals, and that starts with tax policy, says Chris Hayward

Party conference season brings warm white wine, beige food and late nights. These festivals of politics tend to be high in rhetoric and low in substance. Businesses across the Square Mile seek more of the latter and less of the former as the Budget looms larger on the horizon.

When I wrote last fortnight that “the post-holiday return will present a stark awakening for business leaders and government ministers”, I hadn’t quite envisaged the scale of the recent reshuffle.

Most notably for me and my colleagues in the City, posts charged with growth – the secretary of state for business and trade, City, and investment ministers all changed hands.

I look forward to working with them all. And there’s much to be done.

How to get investment flowing – by sending the right signals to business, international investors and markets – will doubtless be at the top of their in-trays.

A recent EY report paints a sobering picture: global investment is flatlining. For the UK, this means no longer competing for a growing pie but fighting for a larger share of one that is........

© City A.M.