Chemicals have become “the C-word” for politicians in Britain, said an industry leader, ahead of his keynote speech for the CHEMUK show.

Tim Doggett, chief executive of the Chemical Business Association, warned that the UK must confront the value of chemicals to the economy and the implementation of sustainable practices.

Interviewed in the run-up to the Birmingham NEC event to be held on 20 and 21 May, Doggett insisted “I’m not here to ‘chemical wash’… but we need an honesty check.”

Politicians, he maintained, had ignored the central importance of what were essential materials to modern life rather than court unpopularity.

“When you look at the chemical supply chain, it drives sustainability… over 96% of manufacturing has a chemical input,” he stated in a pre-show interview published on YouTube.

However, Doggett noted encouraging signs from Government with regards to chemicals regulation.

“Regulation protects the market, … ensures we don’t have a race to the bottom and the standards remain really high,” he stated.

He also acknowledged that wider geopolitical issues and the after-effects of Brexit had impacted the UK chemicals sector negatively.

The CBA chief is due to deliver his organisation’s ‘State of the Nation’ keynote speech on the first day at CHEMUK followed by a panel discussion on attitudes to the industry.

The show’s five dedicated areas include the Chemical Laboratory Zone, which includes the Laboratory News, H76.