The new business secretary, Greg Clark, may or may not match up to Heseltine, Mandelson or Benn. But, significantly, he has an explicit licence to intervene
Over the years, politicians of all stripes have had big ideas for Whitehall’s business department. When he was industry secretary in the 1970s, Tony Benn thought state ownership, planning agreements with companies and protectionism were the answer to Britain’s productivity problem.
Twenty years later, Michael Heseltine said he would intervene before breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner to promote the interests of UK plc. When Gordon Brown was in deep trouble during the Great Recession of 2008-09, he wanted a big beast to provide support for key sectors of the economy. Burying the hatchet with an old foe, he called on Peter Mandelson to do the job.
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Source: Guardian Environment