Government Must Harness Retail Investor Optimism

23rd July 2025

A major new Retail Investor Sentiment survey, carried out for the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Insights Unit, immediately after the Chancellor’s Mansion House speech, shows increased optimism that could be harnessed to grow the UK economy. Over 2,500 investment platform users were polled by Find Out Now on...

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London to Essex c2c services return to public control in step towards Great British Railways

18th July 2025

Passengers across London and Essex will be travelling on publicly-owned train services from this Sunday (20 July 2025), as c2c’s services become the next to be brought into public ownership through government plans to restore pride in the railways. From Sunday, c2c services operating from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness...

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Rising Real Wages Pile On More Pressure  

17th July 2025

Responding to the latest labour market data, published by the ONS this morning, Jane Gratton, Deputy Director Public Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce said:    “The ONS data suggests that the jobs market is continuing to loosen as unemployment rises, vacancies fall again, and wage growth slows. However, pay...

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Business Welcomes Movement On EU Reset Negotiations

17th July 2025

Responding to the release of the EU’s draft mandate for UK negotiations on removing checks on food and drink and eliminating carbon charges, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy, said: “Firms have been patiently waiting for signs of progress on the EU reset and will be pleased to finally...

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Inflation Headache Remains for Firms

16th July 2025

Responding to the latest inflation data published this morning by the Office for National Statistics, Stuart Morrison, Research Manager at the British Chambers of Commerce said: “With CPI rising by 3.6% in June, off the back of fuel price changes, the daily inflation headache for businesses should not be...

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Chancellor Must Spark Investment Reform

15th July 2025

Ahead of her Mansion House speech tonight, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is urging the Chancellor to carry out further reforms to unlock business investment. The BCC’s latest research, involving over 4,500 firms, shows business confidence remains weak and investment levels low. However, a separate BCC analysis, carried...

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Recruitment Static as Firms Assess NI Impact

15th July 2025

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Insight Unit’s latest Quarterly Recruitment Outlook (QRO) shows hiring remained largely static in Q2 as firms dealt with the employer National Insurance (NI) hike. 55% of responding firms attempted to recruit in the last three months, broadly similar to the 54% in Q1....

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Business Still Sceptical On Employment Rights Bill

14th July 2025

Research by the BCC has found that businesses are worried about the speed with which the Employment Rights Bill is being put through Parliament and have serious concerns about it. Many firms do not think its impact has been properly assessed and fear that, combined with the increased tax...

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UK Trade Stabilises After Tariff Hit

11th July 2025

Responding to the latest ONS data on trade, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said:       “UK trade showed signs of stabilising in May as the initial impact of higher US tariffs began to subside. “Services exports and imports showed steady month on month growth of 0.5%....

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Fragile Growth as Business Confidence Struggles

11th July 2025

Responding to the latest GDP data, published by the ONS this morning, David Bharier, Head of Research at the BCC, said: “Today’s GDP figures, showing growth of 0.5% in the three months to May, but a fall of 0.1% in the month, reinforce the view that UK growth remains...

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