The event heard from a range of high-profile speakers including the Prime Minister, who acknowledged that the Government had ‘asked a lot’ of businesses to help fix the foundations of the economy.
But he also used the platform to announce a new Trade Strategy to boost global trade by making the UK the best-connected country in the world by stripping back regulation and bolstering finance.
He cited trade deals with the USA, EU and India as a sign that, even in an era of uncertainty, the UK could still be ‘proudly, unashamedly and defiantly’ open for business.
Corin said: “The British Chambers of Commerce put on an incredible conference which asked the question of where growth is going to come from – and they certainly assembled a line-up of speakers capable of answering!
“There has been a marked change in tone from the Prime Minister and businesses in the room welcomed the trade strategy which is hot on the heels of new deals with nations and blocs right across the world.
“One of the big winners from that is the automotive sector which, of course, is great news for Coventry and Warwickshire.
“The trade strategy takes that a stage further and supporting more businesses – whether they are manufacturers or in the service sector – to do business overseas is crucial to growth.
“We would encourage firms across the region to get in touch with the team at the Chamber to find out what help is available whether they are looking to export for the first time or want to broaden their markets.”
The conference also heard from Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch as well as a range of speakers from business.
Shevaun Haviland, director general of the BCC, told the audience that much of the Government’s work to fix the economy was welcome but pleaded for no more tax rises for businesses in this year’s Budget.
Corin agreed: “Many of the asks that businesses have made of Government through the Chamber network over the past year have been delivered.
“And, ultimately, it’s the businesses across our patch and, indeed, all over the country who will be the drivers of economic growth that all of us want to see.”
