Britain has made its decision to leave the European Union.‎ It wasn’t one I recommended or campaigned for in last month’s referendum, nor do I resile from the concerns I raised. But there is no point looking back in anger; in great democracies like ours, when the people speak we respect their verdict, and we must take it as an instruction to deliver.

‎The question now is not what Britain is leaving; it is what Britain will become. There are those who want our exit from the EU to signal that we should now turn our back on the world, resist the free-market forces of globalization and become a more insular, less tolerant place. Similar forces are at work in other Western nations. We must not be afraid to confront them head-on. I am determined that—on the contrary—we now set out to build a more outward-looking, global-facing Britain, with stronger links with its friends and allies around the world. That must start with a closer economic relationship with North America.

That is the message I bring to the leaders of finance in New York on Monday; and it is why I am leading a trade mission to Asia later this month.

In the past six years, by cutting spending and reducing taxes, we have given the U.K. one of the strongest of the advanced economies. Now we intend to offer even more competitive taxes, and to become a home to more, not less, international business. To signal our intent, we will cut our corporate tax rate still further. It was already set to reach 17% from the 28% rate I inherited six years ago; now I want it to fall to 15% and preferably lower. What stronger message could we send that Britain is open to business?

One lesson of the referendum is that too many of our citizens feel economic progress is no longer benefiting them. Ever-higher welfare to make good lost incomes is not the answer; attracting private investment and good jobs beyond our major cities is. By managing day-to-day spending, we should commit to major investments in national infrastructure, including new roads, high-speed railways and digital networks.