News

BCC President, Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE said: “Government has made clear its priority is to transition from a reliance on EU workers to a focus on the domestic workforce, and businesses have been ready to participate in this, but it is a long-term project. “A managed transition, with a plan agreed between government and business, should have been in place from the outset. Instead, the supply of EU labour was turned off with no clear roadmap as to how this transition would be managed without disruption to services and supply chains.

The supply chain disruption must not be allowed to worsen over the next few months in the run up to Christmas.

Government must do all it can to safeguard security of supply and ensure that customers and suppliers have access to the support they need to weather this difficult period.

Business can benefit from greater UK Government support for cross-border data flows in any new free trade agreements it establishes but data adequacy with the EU must be retained.

Research published by the British Chambers of Commerce and SUEZ reveals a significant disconnect between UK businesses’ awareness of the importance of an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) approach and how many have these policies in place.

The decision to simplify the traffic light system in England will be very welcome news for businesses in the travel sector and beyond.  

Business will be frustrated by the inability of the Government to give them any detail around what circumstances could lead to new restrictions and what support firms could get.

Announcement of a delay is sensible given the ongoing issues with ensuring trader readiness, the need to build more border control posts and the skills shortages crisis.

The jobs market has continued its summer revival as demand for workers has surged following the easing of Covid restrictions. But record vacancies also highlight the acute hiring crisis faced by many firms.

Figures remain concerning. Taken in conjunction with German trade data from earlier this week, the UK is clearly doing less trade with the EU than 3 years ago.