Policy Update 30th January 2024

Welcome to this week’s policy update.  

As ever please do get in touch with me, suzanne@cumbriachamber.co.uk, if you would like to discuss the following, or other, business issues, put forward your views and/or provide real life examples that we can use in advocacy activity.  

The team at British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) continue to be busy working on your behalf. This week:

• BCC Chair, Sarah Howard MBE, is meeting with the Argentinian Ambassador to the UK.
• BCC President, Baroness Martha Lane Fox CBE, is speaking at the Labour Party’s Business Conference in London.

Last week:

• Director General, Shevaun Haviland, met with the Minister for Employment, Jo Churchill MP, to discuss her priorities for the portfolio and brief her on the findings and recommendations from the People and Work working group. 
• Shevaun also had an introductory meeting with Howard Dawber, the newly appointed Deputy Mayor of London for Business.
• She also met Lord Harrington of Watford to discuss his review into Foreign Direct Investment, and Chambers’ upcoming Global Britain report.
• BCC Head of Trade, William Bain, appeared before the Business and Trade Select Committee to discuss the UK’s accession to the CPTPP trade deal. You can watch William’s session here: Parliamentlive.tv - Business and Trade Committee, covering rules of origin, trade policy and export support.
• The BCC team met with Shadow Minister for Skills, Seema Malhotra MP where they briefed her on the People and Work challenge, in addition to the outcomes of the Local Skills Improvement Plans. 
• Shevaun and the team were in No10 Downing Street where they met the Prime Minister’s Business Engagement Advisors to discuss the outputs of the five challenges and look ahead to the Conservative manifesto and their engagement plans.

BCC have been raising further issues on Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) reporting and compliance from members with the EU Embassy. If you have issues with providing information for customers’ declarations on carbon emissions then please let me know, Suzanne@cumbriachamber.co.uk.

We’ve been engaging with other Chambers and BCC in preparation the upcoming Spring Budget. BCC’s policy team and insights unit has been hard at work on a Chambers’ policy submission over the past few months since the Budget date was announced by the Chancellor for March 6th.  We’ll be sharing the submission letter to the Chancellor once it’s released.

The UK has suspended trade negotiations with Canada. This means that rules of origin will change at the end of March in supply chains where EU content was included in goods being traded with Canada. The continuity agreement will continue covering UK-Canada trade, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) ratification is still ongoing. You can read BCC’s reaction to the announcement here: Suspension Of UK/Canada Trade Talks Unwelcome  - British Chambers of Commerce.

This week sees the introduction of requirements for electronic Export Health Certificates and pre-notification of consignments of medium risk animal and plant origin products inbound from the EU to GB. You can read reactions from the BCC and others here: UK industry fears disruption from new post-Brexit border checks | Reuters.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced further changes in policy around CE marking and testing for UKCA. Legislation is due by the spring which will provide greater trader certainty, as well as extending the new flexibilities into three more areas. You can read BCC’s reaction, with a link to further information, here: Common Sense Approach To Product Marking Welcomed  - British Chambers of Commerce.

The next BCC Trade Policy Committee meeting takes place on 27th February. It will cover the latest updates on the inbound GB border controls on EU food imports, live UK FTA negotiations and ratifications, and CBAM compliance. If you have any issues you’d like raising then please let me know, suzanne@cumbriachamber.co.uk. 

As part of the National Cyber Strategy, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has published a call for views on a proposed Cyber Governance Code of Practice. The code focuses on the most critical areas that leaders must engage with, making it easier for directors, non-executive directors, and senior leaders to understand what actions are required to manage their cyber security risk. DSIT is inviting stakeholders from across the economy and society to provide feedback on the proposed Code, to understand if the cyber risks are presented and explained in a way that is straightforward and can be implemented. The call for views is open until 19th March. You can find out more and get involved here: Cyber Governance Code of Practice: call for views - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The department is also seeking research participants to conduct user testing of the Code of Practice. You can find out more here: Research-Participants-Code-of-Practice.pdf (britishchambers.org.uk). 

Have you raised a complaint with your bank within the last 6 months, but remain unsatisfied with the response? The Business Banking Resolution Service (BBRS) may be able to help. The BBRS is a free, not-for-profit service which offers independent dispute resolution to businesses with a turnover between £6.5m and £10m who have an unresolved business banking complaint. You can find out more here: Let's see if we can help - BBRS (thebbrs.org). 

Innovation Zero is the UK’s largest net-zero congress, taking place on 30th April – 1st May 2024 at Olympia, London. Supported by the UK government, this free-to-attend event connects 12,000+ innovators, investors, funders, policymakers, and businesses across multiple sectors, to accelerate the transition towards a low carbon economy and society. The event will feature a world-class conference programme consisting of 175+ sessions across 14 specialised forums including energy, finance, transport, industrial, infrastructure, and advanced technology. The event also showcases 350+ technology and solution providers, offering a first-hand look at the latest innovations and investment opportunities that are shaping the low carbon landscape. New for 2024 is the dedicated Infrastructure Zero event, will run in parallel to Innovation Zero, attracting investors and leaders in low carbon and green infrastructure. You can find out more here: Innovation Zero - Sustainability Event & Conference 30 Apr-1 May 24.

BCC’s Workplace Equity Commission call for evidence is still live but only until 16th February. This invites views and insights on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) best practice in business, as well as any challenges firms are facing, and where support is needed. The Commission aims to produce practical recommendations for employers and Chambers. There will also be policy recommendations for government. This needs your input. You’re key to providing vital insights and on-the-ground knowledge about the issues and successes that businesses are experiencing. So please engage now and help ensure that the report reflects what businesses like you are doing now and any additional support or changes that would help you. The Call for Evidence is open until Friday 16th February, which is now only 5 weeks away! You can find out more and get involved here: Workplace Equity Commission

Proposed changes to egg labelling rules. On 9th January, the Government announced that producers will no longer need to change how eggs are labelled during an outbreak of avian influenza under proposals planned to support British farmers. The proposals for England and Scotland are subject to an eight-week consultation, open until 5th March. They will amend the Regulations to remove the ‘derogation’ period, meaning that free-range eggs can stay labelled as such throughout mandatory housing measures. You can take part here: Consultation on removing the 16-week derogation period in egg marketing standards legislation in England and Scotland - Defra - Citizen Space.

Suzanne Caldwell

Managing Director