One of the mysteries of the sex scandal swirling around the Confederation of British Industry is why more of its members have not taken a tougher line and quit.
So far, only Andy Wood, the boss of Suffolk brewer Adnams, has said publicly that his firm is considering leaving the lobbying group following allegations of sexual misconduct against senior CBI figures, including claims of rape and drug use at staff parties.
Yet privately, many more of its 190,000 members are said to be horrified by the latest allegations brought by more than ten women against CBI staff, and are on the brink of handing in their cards.
Why are they taking so long to make up their minds? Some say they want to wait for the outcome of the independent investigation being conducted by Fox Williams before making hasty decisions.
The law firm hopes to report to the board soon after Easter. But should they wait or listen to one of the City’s most influential women, Baroness Morrissey, who says ‘enough is enough’. She urges members to quit now.
Making a move: Baroness Morrissey says ‘enough is enough’ and she urges members to quit now
Imagine if high-profile members like Alison Rose, chief executive of NatWest, or Amanda Blanc, boss of Aviva, were to share her view and tear up their membership. The dam would break and others would follow quickly enough. They would be right to argue that – whatever the outcome of the report – the damage to the CBI’s reputation is already so great that it can’t survive.
Another mystery is why a lobbying group which professes to be the voice of British business has been so utterly silent since the scandal broke. There has not been a peep from the top, not even a holding statement from the president, Brian McBride, or vice-president, Lord Bilimoria.
Of course, no one expects them to comment in detail on the allegations because of the inquiry. But you would have thought at least one of the top brass would be brave enough to apologise and state publicly: ‘We will get to the bottom of this.’
They were brave enough to shout from the rooftops when they warned Brexit would kill off British industry, or that Jeremy Corbyn’s nationalisation plans would cost nearly £200billion – claims which were never demonstrated. Criticism of the CBI is not new. There has been widespread scepticism over the lobbying group’s relevance for years, that it has outgrown its purpose.
Indeed, members constantly complain that it has become a pompous and secretive organisation, that becoming a member is one of those rituals you do, a bit like joining the expensive gym which has just opened around the corner because you know you should, but you never use it.
There’s a good explanation for this. The CBI has become less relevant today because the reason it came into existence in 1965 has long gone. Back then, its power came about because businesses needed a counterweight to the power of the big private sector unions flexing their muscles over pay bargaining and conditions.
But those influential private sector unions have more or less disappeared as the power shifted to the public sector.
Now the CBI spends much of its time virtue-signalling and agitating for more diverse boards et al. Is that worth paying thousands of pounds a year in membership?
Like those unions, the CBI’s time is up. And if the CBI were to shut up shop, there are far better alternatives for businesses to join. The IoD, the FSB, Made UK or single issue campaigners, like FairFuel UK, all increasingly have a much stronger voice on the problems that really matter.
