Speaking up for business leaders

We advocated for a 9-month statutory probationary period to protect employers’ ability to easily dismiss new hires if they are not up for the job. Previously, there was no statutory probationary period. This change is reflected in the draft Employment Rights Bill published by the government.

We urged the government to commit to a roadmap for business, which clarifies the government’s approach to taxation over the parliament and beyond. This was delivered in the 2024 Autumn Budget.

We advocated for and secured significant adjustments to Labour’s New Deal for Working People proposals - including those relating to zero hours contracts, the right to switch off and day one employment rights - and a commitment to meaningfully consult with business.

We joined with other stakeholders to advocate that assets from dormant bank and building society accounts should be funnelled into organisations tackling social problems in their communities.

We were the first business organisation to make strong representations to government based on member views from Policy Voice surveys regarding the government’s Retained EU Law Bill. We secured a U-turn of the Bill.

Since July 2022, we have been making the case for all investment expenditure to be set against revenue for tax purposes. This measure was made permanent by the Chancellor in the 2023 Autumn Statement.