Gulf Trade Deal ‘A Moment To Celebrate’
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Gulf Trade Deal ‘A Moment To Celebrate’
21st May 2026Responding to the news that a free trade agreement has been made with the six Arab states which comprise the Gulf Cooperation Council, William Bain, Head of Trade Policyat the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “This deal is great news for the UK economy; it will open up new opportunities for inward…
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Fit Note Reform ‘A Necessary Step’
21st May 2026Reacting to the government announcement on a series of pilot schemes on fit note reform, Hannah Larsen, Policy Officer at the BCC said: “This is an important first step in reforming the broken fit note system. Our research shows that one in ten businesses are being seriously impacted by sickness absence. “Firms have told us that fit notes often sign people off work indefinitely, without a…
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Inflation Dip Unlikely To Be Sustained
21st May 2026Responding to the latest inflation data, published this morning by the Office for National Statistics, Caterina Batog, Research & Economics Analyst, at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Inflation slowing to 2.8% in April is likely to be a temporary quirk due to the timing of some prices changes rather than a signal on…
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Procurement Spend with SMEs Hits Six-Year High
21st May 2026SME share of public procurement hit a six year high in 2025, at 21% of all direct spend (£45.2bn) Central government was significantly behind its new SME procurement spending targets last year, averaging 8.4 percentage points below the required levels. Local government continues to be the part of the public sector spending the most with SMEs, £29.1bn in 2025. Local government has seen sustained…
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HS2 Crucial to Business Growth
19th May 2026Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce said: “The HS2 project is a crucial part of creating a modern transport network that helps business boost growth across the UK. We welcome the government’s recommitment to the project today. “Better rail links are essential for the future prosperity of our regional economies, supporting businesses, jobs and investment. Rail is also…
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Vacancies Continuing To Fall As Businesses Press Pause
19th May 2026Reacting to the latest labour market data from the ONS, Patrick Milnes, Head of Policy for People and Work at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “With unemployment at 5%, the expectation is that it will rise this year as business uncertainty grows amid the UK’s political unrest and the Iran War. Our latest forecast expects it to increase to 5.5%. “A further drop…
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Crime Against Business Putting Growth At Risk
18th May 2026Decisive action is needed to tackle the ‘hidden threat’ of crime against businesses damaging growth, according to a new report from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Theft, fraud, scams and cyber-attacks are increasingly affecting firms of all sizes and across all sectors. BCC research carried out last Autumn shows that 42% of UK businesses experienced some…
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Business Groups Unite In Stand Against Antisemitism
15th May 2026The UK’s leading business organisations have signed a joint letter pledging to take a stand against antisemitism, committing to concrete action to support Jewish employees and foster inclusive workplaces. The initiative, co-ordinated by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), brings together a wide…
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Steel Tariffs Risk Serious Damage To UK Manufacturers
15th May 2026The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has warned that changes to UK steel quotas and tariffs could add millions of pounds to manufacturers’ costs. In a letter to the Business Secretary, Peter Kyle, the BCC said the proposed regime risks creating ‘real financial and logistics problems’ for downstream industries. These…
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Q1 Growth Shows Business Resilience
14th May 2026Responding to the latest GDP data published by the Office for National Statistics this morning, Stuart Morrison, Research Manager at the British Chambers of Commerce said: “Growth of 0.6% in Q1, shows the initial optimism we heard from our members at the start of the year was well grounded. “Meanwhile GDP rising by 0.3% in March itself also suggests the continued resilience…
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