Tuesday 30th June – Prime Ministers economy speech available here

Friday 26th June – Guidance has been released to help businesses in England reopen safely here

Wednesday 24th June – From Saturday 4th July, the Prime Minister has announce that –

Pubs, restaurants and hairdressers will be able to reopen, providing they adhere to COVID Secure guidelines –  guidance can be found here 

Two households will be able to meet up in any setting with social distancing measures – updated guidance on social distancing can be found here

People can now enjoy staycations in England with the reopening of accommodation sites – guidance on opening up the visitor economy can also be found here

In order to begin restoring the arts and cultural sector, some leisure facilities and tourist attractions may also reopen, if they can do so safely – this includes outdoor gyms and playgrounds, cinemas, museums, galleries, theme parks and arcades, as well as libraries, social clubs, places of worship and community centres – guidance on opening up the visitor economy can also be found here

Tuesday 23rd June – Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – Claiming for 100 or more employees – For claims on or after 1 July 2020, employers will need to download and complete a template when claiming for 100 or more employees through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Monday 15th June – Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Update. As the Chancellor announced previously, from 1st July, employers can bring back to work employees that have previously been furloughed for any amount of time and any shift pattern, while still being able to claim the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme grant for their normal hours not worked. Find out more here

Thursday 11th June – As the UK moves to the next phase in the fight against Coronavirus, find out more about Restart Guidance here

Tuesday 9th June – There are new rules in place for entering the UK during the Coronavirus outbreak. Find out more here

Monday 8th June – The Business Secretary announces the creation of 5 new business-focused groups to unleash Britain’s growth potential and create jobs.  Full details can be seen here

Friday 5th June – Key changes and deadlines you need to be aware of for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme can be seen here

Friday 5th June – Government to provide guarantees of up to £10 billion to Trade Credit Insurance schemes for business-to-business transactions.  Full details can be seen here

Thursday 4th June – As per the Transport Secretary’s announcement, wearing face coverings on public transport will be mandatory in England from Monday 15th June. You can see the full statement here

Wednesday 3rd June – The Government release details on how to self-isolate when you travel to the UK.  Full details can be seen here

Tuesday 26th May – The Prime Minister sets out a timeline for retail to open from 1st June and further guidance has been published for how to operate safely to protect staff and customers.  Full details can be seen here

Monday 25th May – BCC comments on Prime Ministers announcement on reopening of the retail sector – see the full release here 

Thursday 21st May – The BCC respond to 14-day quarantine for air passengers – see the full release here

Wednesday 20th May – The results from the eighth week of the BCC COVID-19 Business Tracker are now live

Monday 18th May – The Future Fund is launching on Wednesday 20th May. This can be viewed here

Wednesday 13th May – Launch of Government guarantee to support provision of Trade Credit Insurance. This can be viewed here

Tuesday 12th May – The British Chambers of Commerce have produced a summary document following a review of the Governments strategy. This can be viewed here

Monday 11th May – The Government’s roadmap for how and when the UK will adjust its response to the COVID-19 crisis can be seen here

Monday 11th May – The Government, in consultation with industry, has produced guidance to help ensure workplaces are as safe as possible. This can be seen here

Wednesday 6th May – The results from the sixth tranche of the BCC COVID-19 Business Tracker are now live

Monday 4th May – Bounce Back Loans are now open. Find out more

Sunday 3rd May – British Chambers of Commerce President, Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, has written an open letter to the Prime Minister setting out principles for a phased restart of the UK economy.  Read the full letter and policy document here.

Friday 1st May – Coronavirus mandate fraud.  In response to the increased threat from mandate fraud during the Coronavirus outbreak, the UK Government Counter Fraud Function has issued a mandate fraud guidance document.  The guidance covers recent case studies, useful contacts and simple checks organisations can take to significantly reduce the likelihood of falling victim to it.

Wednesday 29th April – Coronavirus testing is available for millions more people in England from today after the government loosened rules on who can apply. Find out more

Wednesday 29th April – The results from the fifth tranche of the BCC COVID-19 Business Tracker are now live

Monday 27th April –The Chancellor announced a new loan scheme. A simple, quick, easy solution for those in need of smaller loans. Businesses can apply for new Bounce Back Loans up to a maximum of £50,000, or 25% of turnover, with the Government paying the interest for the first 12 months.  Find out more here

Wednesday 21st April – The British Business Bank (BBB) has produced revised and updated Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) FAQs for SMEs with more complex questions that SMEs have been asking Lenders including a Q&A on exporting.

Wednesday 21st April – The results from the fourth tranche of the BCC COVID-19 Business Tracker are now live 

Tuesday 21st April – Government have released a Corona Business Support Finder, to help businesses ascertain what support is available to them. Find out more here

Monday 20th April – The Corona Virus Job Retention Scheme opens today – find out all the information here There is a also a step-by-step guide available here

Friday 17th April –  Good news as the Chancellor has listened and responded to the real-world concerns of businesses facing challenges as a result of Coronavirus.  Changes to the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme should fill an important gap in Government support for medium-sized and larger firms.  Updated guidance available here

Thursday 16th April –  Following lobbying from the British Chambers of Commerce and the Chamber Network, the UK Government has extended the eligibility for the Coronavirus Job Retention (CJR) Scheme to new starters on the PAYE system up to 19 March. Updated guidance available here

Wednesday 15th April – The results from the third tranche of the BCC COVID-19 Business Tracker are now live 

Wednesday 8th April – Job Retention Scheme date announced at Treasury Select Committee. During an evidence session with the Treasury Select Committee, HMRC’s Chief Executive, Jim Harra, announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be open for claim submissions in the week commencing 20 April, with payments starting to arrive by 30 April. More information is expected next week for employers on how to prepare applications.  The BCC have updated a FAQ document to reflect this.

Tuesday 7th April – The results from the second tranche of the BCC COVID-19 Business Tracker are now live 

Monday 6th April – Latest update from our International Trade Department

Friday 3rd April – Welcome news this morning that the Government has taken further action to support firms affected by COVID-19 by bolstering business interruption loans for small businesses and announcing a new scheme for larger companies. Find out more here 

Thursday 2nd April – The chancellor is preparing to unveil an overhaul of his emergency aid scheme for small businesses (SMEs) amid warnings about a deluge of insolvencies as companies struggle to access funds from a banking system creaking under the COVID-19 crisis. Find out more here

Wednesday 1st April –  The BCC have launched the second tranche of the COVID-19 Business Impacts Tracker and we continue to seek views from our members on the challenges they are currently facing, so now more than ever, we need your views. Have your say here

Saturday 28th March – New measures announced today will give vital support to frontline NHS staff battling COVID-19 and support businesses under pressure as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Find out more here

Friday 27th March – Great news for SMEs this afternoon. A result of a national push by Chambers of Commerce to get HMG pledges of money to the front line for businesss, the Big Four banks have agreed that personal guarantees will not be taken as security for lending below £250k. Find out more here

Thursday 26th March – The Self-employment Income Support Scheme – what is it?  Useful FAQ document here and details of the scheme here

Thursday 26th March –  Government gives support to millions of self-employed individuals as Chancellor Rishi Sunak announces world-leading scheme to support the UK’s self-employed affected by the coronavirus outbreak.  Find out more here

Thursday 26th March – New HMRC Tax helpline launched to support businesses concerned about paying their tax due to coronavirus (COVID-19). Find out more here

Wednesday 25th March – COVID-19 Business Impacts Tracker.  As the Coronavirus continues to impact the day-to-day operations of businesses across the UK, local Chambers of Commerce stand ready to support you. Given the rapid pace of developments, we now need to understand the immediate short term impacts on your business. We are in constant contact with the UK Government and Bank of England as business support packages have been developed. In this 2-3 minute poll, please tell us the immediate business conditions you are facing and whether your business is aware of or has used the recently announced support packages from Government. Your input is essential to our work on behalf of your business. We intend to seek your views over the next few weeks to track progress. As a business leader, your views have never been more important. The survey can be accessed here

Tuesday 24th March – Following the latest announcement from Government in regards to the strict new measures now in place to tackle the spread of coronavirus, including a ban on public gatherings of more than two people, here is the latest from the British Chambers of Commerce

Monday 23rd March –  The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is now available through participating lenders.  CBILS is a new scheme, announced by The Chancellor at Budget 2020, that can provide facilities of up to £5m for smaller businesses across the UK who are experiencing lost or deferred revenues, leading to disruptions to their cashflow.  CBILS supports a wide range of business finance products, including term loans, overdrafts, invoice finance and asset finance. The scheme provides the lender with a government-backed guarantee potentially enabling a ‘no’ credit decision from a lender to become a ‘yes’. The borrower always remains 100% liable for the debt.  See here for all the information.

Friday 20th March, 7pm – Tonight the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a range of measures to further protect the economy, protect people’s jobs and support businesses through the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).  The Prime Minister has made a firm commitment to “stand by businesses” through the coming weeks and that by the nations collective will, the country has the ability to tackle the coronavirus now. Mr Johnson announced that starting from tonight all cafes, pubs, restaurants, theatres, cinemas, nightclubs, gyms and leisure centres are to close as soon as possible and remain closed indefinitely. Some premises may be able to continue operating for take-away services. For further information on the new business support measures that have been announced, click here