When Carolyn Fairbairn took over, in November 2015, the head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the British employers, relatives had told her: “It could be very boring. “ “Prime Minister David Cameron had won an absolute majority a few months earlier; the UK experienced the strongest growth of the G7 countries; 2.2 million jobs had been created and Donald Trump was still the host of “The Apprentice” [une émission de télé-réalité] “, she smiles.
Five years later, as she completes her term on Friday, November 6, her journey has been a roller coaster: a referendum in favor of Brexit (June 23, 2016), a country torn by the result, a British government which has stopped listening to the bosses – “Fuck business” (“Fuck the business world”), said Boris Johnson, one day of annoyance, in July 2018 – then a historic pandemic, with the Covid-19. “It was a very difficult time, both for the economy and for the political debate, she declares to World, in one of his last interviews. Things really changed in January 2016, when David Cameron announced the date for the referendum. It set fire to the powder. “
With hindsight, she recognizes that the business world has not sufficiently seen this succession of crises coming. “At the end of 2015, there was a certain complacency, which was not justified. Divisions [révélées par le Brexit] were already there: the sense of injustice and anger at an economy that does not improve daily life could be seen in the rise in UKIP [le Parti pour l’indépendance du Royaume-Uni, antieuropéen] and anger at immigration. The result of the referendum only highlighted them. “
“Fighting to save every job”
Today, the issue of Brexit is still not resolved. The UK officially exited the European Union (EU) on 1er February, but the future trade relations between London and Brussels, which will apply from 1er January 2021, remain under negotiation. “Finding an agreement is incredibly urgent, reminds Mme Fairbairn. In the midst of a pandemic, when we have to fight to save every job, we cannot afford to add a no-deal Brexit to this situation. “
At the beginning of September, Carolyn Fairbairn sounded the alarm in the face of the approaching “unemployment tsunami”, due to the crisis linked to Covid-19
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