Business groups, unions and professionals from across the UK have called on the Government to launch an all-out offensive to boost productivity, demanding a swathe of new policies from infrastructure investment to extra staff training, and open access to the UK for skilled foreign workers.

The proposals came in dozens of submissions on the UK’s industrial strategy to the newly created Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee (BEIS). The department issued a request for written evidence from more than 170 businesses and trade bodies as the Government looks to draw up a new blueprint for British industry.

After years of unspectacular growth following the financial crisis, the economy has performed unexpectedly well since the referendum vote. However, the Government is pushing ahead with a new industrial strategy to boost the UK’s long-term prospects.