UK businesses need to prove they’re worth listening to – and we need to start paying attention

Putting aside the pros and cons of Brexit, it’s evident that the heads of our largest, best-known enterprises are simply being ignored, writes Chris Blackhurst

Does business know best? (EPA)

At the last count, 27 million people in Britain worked in the private sector. Going by the latest numbers, too, the total voting population stands at 45.7 million.

Some more statistics. There are 8,000 large businesses in the country, defined as more than 250 employees, accounting for 40 per cent of employment.

Which means that a substantial chunk of the UK electorate work for those large businesses. And yet, here is the rub: no one is listening. Worse, many of those employees are defying their bosses and going completely against what they’re advocating.