Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, Shevaun Haviland, has congratulated Labour on its decisive general election victory and pledged to work in partnership with the new Government to boost the economy.
She made the promise after Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, officially conceded the election result this morning, and said: “Congratulations to the Labour Party on their victory after a long and hard-fought campaign.
“The public have delivered them a clear and decisive parliamentary majority – hopefully they will use this mandate to provide the stability and certainty businesses crave.
“How we revitalise our economy was hotly debated throughout the past six weeks, and it is encouraging to see they have many policies which clearly align with our recommendations.
“But after a gruelling election the really hard work starts now. We need to see action from day one on pulling together a coherent industrial strategy for the long-term, which places a strong emphasis on harnessing green innovation.
“Closing the skills gap, growing exports, boosting productivity and harnessing the power of AI won’t happen overnight.
“And businesses will also want to see early movement on pledges around business rates reform and improving our trade relationship with the EU.
“None of this will be easy, and our new Government should not be expected to do it alone. But our entire Chamber Network and the 51,000 businesses it represents will be ready to put their shoulders to the wheel and help.
“If our firms succeed, then our communities prosper, the economy grows, and the wealth needed to support our public services is created.”
Paul Britton, CEO, Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce said “The business community across the Thames Valley faces unique local challenges. We will work tirelessly with the Labour Government, both locally and nationally, to ensure the voice of business is heard.
“Our unique scale and independent business voice will promote working across both political and administrative boundaries.
“When it comes to the barriers to growth that require national intervention, we will work closely with the BCC to ensure that our vibrant industry sectors are both represented and at the front line to co-develop solutions for the new Government to deliver against our national challenges around productivity, growth in trade, sustainability and a competitive inward investment offer”.
