Billionaire businessman Sir James Dyson has issued fresh criticism of Rishi Sunak’s government, claiming the Prime Minister’s pledge to turn the UK into a science and technology superpower is “mere political sloganeering”.
In a letter to the Times, he also complains that he has yet to meet Mr Sunak despite being a major UK businessman.
Sir James, whose company employs 3,500 people in the UK, said: “Ministers talk arrogantly about Britain becoming a ‘scientific and technological superpower’ but their woeful policies reduce it to a mere political slogan
Billionaire businessman Sir James Dyson has criticized the government (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
“In the UK, Dyson now faces rising corporation tax (removing any tax credit for research and development)… and a crippling shortage of skilled engineers.”
It is not the first time that the founder and chief engineer of the multinational technology company Dyson, based in Singapore, has criticized the Government.
Earlier this year, Sir James warned Mr. Sunak that growth should not be seen as a “dirty word”, accusing the government of a “short-sighted” approach to business.
Sunak’s ambition to make the UK a science superpower after Brexit has been central to his tenure as Prime Minister, with the creation of a new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology by the Prime Minister.
A government spokesman said: “The UK is open for business as an innovative nation.
“We aim to be the largest technology sector in Europe, reaching a combined market value of £1 trillion by 2022, have the lowest corporate tax rate in the G7 and have world-class strengths in science and R&D, underpinned by for our £20 billion R&D target and introducing policies such as total spending.
“This will spur stronger growth, better jobs and bold new discoveries, bringing together tomorrow’s key technologies such as quantum and artificial intelligence, in a dedicated department for Science, Innovation and Technology for the first time.”
