Harrington FDI Review
Harrington Review of Foreign Direct Investment
Independent review examining how to improve the UK's offer to foreign direct investors. Made 6 recommendations to strengthen coordination across government and make the UK a more attractive investment destination.
6recommendations
6Not Yet Responded
Government Response
Government accepted recommendations. Office for Investment expanded and streamlined.
1 November 2023
Recommendations
Recommendation 1
The government should set out a clear Business Investment Strategy by spring 2024. This should build on existing sector visions and plans for the five key growth sectors to communicate government's approach to investment over the medium term.
Recommendation 2
Investment should be prioritised across central government with clear accountability distributed through the system. This requires a fundamental shift in the current culture to transform the way government operates.
Recommendation 3
Government should build on the success of Metro Mayors and best practice in the devolved administrations to expand its place-based offer to investors.
Recommendation 4
The new Investment Committee should work across government to propose further improvements to the UK business environment, informed by the investor feedback provided to the Review, summarised below.
Recommendation 5
Government should build on the success of the Office for Investment, and ensure it has access to the right tools from across government to compete internationally. To that end, it should have a more targeted and proactive approach to investors, a clearly communicated toolkit, and the flexibility to negotiate strategic partnerships to secure the most strategically important investments.
Recommendation 6
Recognising the success of its existing funds such as the Automotive Transformation Fund and the Aerospace Technology Institute programme, the government should ensure that the Office for Investment has access to a Business Investment Facility that supports it to initiate proactive discussions with potential investors. The Facility should clearly communicate the kind of investment propositions that will attract capital support.