After Heseltine sacking, who speaks for infrastructure as the government tackles Brexit?

Michael Heseltine's role as a knowledgable adviser to the government on infrastructure, development and devolution issues has ended after he was sacked by Theresa May after opposing the government in the recent House of Lords vote on Brexit. Natasha Levanti considers what his removal might mean for infrastructure. 

In what has been heralded as a warning shot across the bows to potential political dissenters on Brexit, Theresa May has fired Lord Heseltine from his government advisory positions, after the passage of his amendment in the House of Lords giving UK parliament a meaningful vote on the Brexit negotiation results.

May’s removal of Heseltine from government roles will not impact his voice in the House of Lords, but will leave a stinging void of knowledgeable advice on behalf of those businesses and workers within infrastructure and built environment.

In a time of much political uncertainty, our industry of consultants, engineers and wider construction workers, contributes an estimated £15bn to the UK economy and £90bn in overall market contribution. It must be assured that government has expert, experienced advisers helping to ensure that ministers make the right choices that allow our industry and the UK economy as a whole to grow.  

Removing Lord Heseltine from his advisory roles begs the question – who will speak now for infrastructure as the government embarks on untangling Brexit?

Lord Heseltine had been advising the government in a number of areas related to industrial strategy and his loss will be keenly felt. his recent roles have been:

• National Infrastructure Commissioner
• Chairman of Estate Regeneration Advisory Panel
• Chairman of Tees Valley Inward Investment Initiative
• Economic adviser to Number 10
• Adviser to the secretary of state for communities and local growth
• Leader of the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission
• Adviser on plans for Swansea’s City deal

Following the political principles on Europe he has adhered to throughout his career, Heseltine led the cross-party support of the Lords Brexit amendment, which passed by 366 votes to 268. Undeterred, following his sacking, he said: “My preoccupation has been from the very beginning that I believe that the referendum result is the most disastrous peacetime result that we’ve seen in this country.”

Despite not receiving prior warning that he would lose his advisory roles if he opposed the government in the Lords, Heseltine was unrepentent at the stance he took. “I’m not complaining, I was getting on with the job that I was doing,” he said.

This does leave us to wonder though just who government will now pinpoint to fill in the void of experienced guidance on the projects and initiatives that Lord Heseltine played such a key role in driving forward. Further questions are now sure to be asked about whether the government's guiding light on Brexit will be its own party political interest rather than the needs of our industry and other business sectors in the UK, particularly as we continue into the unpredictable and uncertain waters that the negotiations around the UK's exit from the European Union are sure to bring.

In the end, Heseltine has been labelled a Tory ‘rebel’ immediately after the passage of an amendment that very much follows lifelong political principles. And at the prime age of 83, being a rebel for lifelong principles does have a certain allure.

Natasha Levanti is an associate editor for Infrastructure Intelligence.