Three questions are worth asking as the UK government prepares to launch its manufacturing strategy. Does the sector actually matter in the UK any more? Does it have a future? And what role, if any, should government play?

The UK is still the sixth-biggest manufacturer in the world. Manufacturing accounts for half the country’s exports, with high-technology products accounting for a significantly higher proportion of overseas sales than is the case for the US, France or Germany. Britain attracts more foreign direct investment into manufacturing than any other country in the world apart from the US.