Welcoming the Chancellor’s announcement of a Future Fund, supporting start-ups by delivering an initial commitment of £250m of new government funding which will be unlocked by private investment on a match funded basis, BCC Head of Economics Suren Thiru said:

“The Future Fund will help provide urgently needed support for many of our most innovative and fast-growing businesses around the UK, as we have urged.

“The fund fills an important gap in existing government support and could make a real difference to entrepreneurial firms navigating challenging circumstances. It’s crucial that this enhanced support reaches companies in difficulty as quickly as possible.”