Architects among business leaders backing Labour

Archtiects are among a series of high profile business leaders which have backed Labour ahead of the general election on July 4.

Alexandra Depledge, chief executive of architectural tech firm Resi, and Ben Evans, chief executive of the company behind the London Design Festival and the London Design Biennale, are among 120 signatories on a letter to The Times this morning.

The letter calls for change after a decade of “instability, stagnation and a lack of long-term focus”. 

It said that the UK had “the potential to be one of the strongest economies in the world”, but that it was being held back by “lack of political stability and the absence of consistent economic strategy”.  

“The country has been denied the skills and infrastructure it needs to flourish,” it said. 

“We are looking for a government that will partner fiscal discipline with a long-term growth strategy, working in partnership with the private sector to drive innovation and investment to build digital and physical capital and fix our skills system.  

“This is the only way to put us on track for sustained productivity growth.” 

Other signatories include John Kirkland, the chairman of £1.2bn contractor Bowmer & Kirkland, Eleanor Deeley, joint managing director of Midlands developer The Deeley Group, and Tom Carney, managing director of civils contractor Huyton Asphalt Civils. 

The letter added that Labour had shown it had changed and that it wanted to work with business. 

“We should now give it the chance to change the country and lead Britain into the future,” it added. 

“We are in urgent need of a new outlook to break free from the stagnation of the past decade and we hope by taking this public stand we might persuade others of that need too.”