When giving talks to people about productivity, I often express my amazement – and my worry – that governments spend a lot of time working on the wrong things.

For example, in the UK at the current time, Brexit has been dominating the time of Parliament and the Cabinet.

Brexit is important- but it doesn’t solve any of the UK’s underlying productivity problems.

Government needs to do what we all have to do – sort out the urgent from the important – and make sure longer-term planning is not forgotten for the sake of short-term expediency.