Departing Standard Life Aberdeen vice-chairman Martin Gilbert has thrown his backing behind Boris Johnson, describing the Prime Minister as “the right man for the time” but warning “he should focus more on Scotland”.
Speaking at the 50th World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland, Gilbert told American news network CNBC he expects Johnson will give the country confidence. He described leaving a no-deal Brexit on the table as a “good negotiation tactic” but admitted the topic could return come the autumn.
Gilbert, who is due to leave Standard Life Aberdeen by September and has been named as chairman of challenger bank Revolut, said: “Boris has got a workable majority now. He is the right man for the time.
“He will give the country confidence, and just keep saying how well we’re doing and – to a certain extent – that’s what we need at the moment. I’m very pleased to see that he’s focusing on the north – he should focus more on Scotland, I must tell him that, actually.
“No one speaks about Brexit any longer. They may well in November, but I think everyone is speaking about infrastructure spend, where we’re going to spend it, all the things we should be doing. I’ve been a believer in borrowing at these 200-year low interest rates, and investing in the infrastructure of the country, which will get the economy going.”
