Policy & Lobbying

Reacting to the publication of the 2023 Integrated Review, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “The renewed commitments to tackling, climate change, sustainable development, and economic empowerment of women are all welcome in the Review. “On Europe, the Refresh takes account of the impact of the War in Ukraine, for both the [...]

The British Chambers of Commerce expects the UK economy to avoid a technical recession but shrink by 0.3% in 2023, before returning to growth in 2024; inflation will slow to 5% by Q4 2023. UK Economic Outlook    The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) forecasts the economy will not return to its pre-pandemic size until the final quarter of 2024. The [...]

The British Chambers of Commerce is calling on the Chancellor to use his Spring Budget to relieve cost and recruitment pressures on business. It follows the release of new research which reveals how low business confidence has fallen at the start of 2023. Among the findings from the survey, of more than 1,000 firms, are:   Two thirds of businesses [...]

Reacting to the latest ONS Labour Market figures, Jane Gratton, Head of People Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Businesses are crying out for people to fill job vacancies at all skill levels, and this must be the number one focus for government if it’s serious about economic growth. “There are still a huge number of vacancies, [...]

The British Chambers of Commerce has set out four goals the Chancellor must hit during his Spring Budget. Issues of childcare, energy costs, business rates and green funding must be solved to unlock firms' growth potential. With recent BCC research showing more than 75% of companies failing to increase investment, due to a lack of confidence in the economy, the [...]

The BCC has set out four goals the Chancellor must hit during his Spring Budget. Issues of childcare, energy costs, business rates and green funding must be solved to unlock firms' growth potential. With recent BCC research showing more than 75% of companies failing to increase investment, due to a lack of confidence in the economy, the government is [...]

Reacting to the ONS trade figures for December 2022, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “UK exports were flat in December 2022 and fell across the final quarter of the year as a whole. Across 2022, export values rose by 6.7% (excluding inflation) but were still 3.1% lower than in 2018. “The [...]

Reacting to the ONS GDP figures for Q4 2022, David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Today’s GDP estimates, while indicating the economy technically avoided a recession, show some worrying developments. Production output fell by 0.2% in Q4 2022, eight of the 14 service sectors saw contractions, and monthly GDP fell by 0.5% in December. “Small businesses have seen [...]

Reacting to the ONS GDP figures for Q4 2022, David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Today’s GDP estimates, while indicating the economy technically avoided a recession, show some worrying developments. Production output fell by 0.2% in Q4 2022, eight of the 14 service sectors saw contractions, and monthly GDP fell by 0.5% in December. “Small businesses have seen [...]

 Commenting on today's Bank of England interest rate rise, David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “The Bank's decision to raise interest rates for a 10th consecutive time continues its hard-line approach to inflation, but this is not without serious side-effects.   “Those impacted most by today’s decision will be mortgage holders and businesses reliant on [...]