CBI President In Early Exit As Lobby Giant Fights To Survive

The president of the CBI is to step down earlier than planned as part of an overhaul of the leadership of the embattled business lobby group.

Brian McBride is to start the search for his successor, with the handover due to take place in the new year.

The lobby group is fighting for survival following allegations of rape and sexual assault against staff.

Members will begin voting today on the group's "programme of change" which is designed to restore trust in the body.

The CBI's new director general, Rain Newton-Smith, said the group had "listened" and was "taking accountability".

The group has suspended its day-to-day operations due to the allegations and will only resume them if members back its plans for change at an extraordinary general meeting on 6 June.

A number of major firms, including John Lewis and BMW, have quit the CBI over the claims. Others such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have suspended engagement with the group, which claims to represent 190,000 firms.

The government has also paused engagement, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying there was "no point" working with the CBI when its own members had deserted it.

When the first allegations of harassment and sexual assault emerged in early April, the lobby group asked the law firm Fox Williams to investigate.

Following the release of the Fox Williams report, Mr McBride began an examination of the CBI's governance.

As a result of this work, the group will begin an accelerated search for Mr McBride's successor, the CBI said on Wednesday.

Other moves include a refresh of the CBI board, and the creation of a new committee to focus on people and human resources matters at the CBI.

The CBI - the Confederation of British Industry - speaks to the government on behalf of around 190,000 businesses. These firms employ millions of people.

It is one of the UK's most prominent lobby groups and, according to its former president Paul Drechsler, was instrumental in protecting millions of jobs during the Covid pandemic by helping the rapid roll-out of the furlough scheme.

The CBI campaigned against Brexit. Once the UK voted to leave the European Union, it lobbied the government to secure a trade and co-operation agreement.

It also aims to promote and share best practice among its members. Founded in 1965, today it employs around 300 people.

Mr McBride said the group was making "significant and fundamental changes" to improve the organisation.

"We remain determined to restore the confidence of our members, and that of our many stakeholders, in the CBI," he added.

The CBI said it has been directly engaging with more than 1,000 business leaders over April and May as part of its "programme of change".

Ms Newton-Smith said: "We need a strong voice of business, backed by a depth of economic analysis and insights from across the whole economy and entire country.

"A renewed CBI can once again have a voice on the serious economic challenges the UK faces, with a general election approaching at pace."

She added: "We shall learn the lessons and emerge from this as a stronger organisation."

The allegations at the CBI include claims of harassment and sexual assault including two allegations of rape, one at a summer party held by the group in 2019, another at one of its overseas offices.

The City of London Police is currently investigating the rape allegations.

The director general of the CBI, Tony Danker, has already been dismissed. He was the subject of separate complaints of workplace misconduct, unrelated to the sexual assault and rape claims, for which he has apologised.