Rachel Reeves held talks with the leaders of some of Britain’s biggest business groups on Thursday, vowing to “co-design” Government policy with them ahead of the October Budget.
Bosses at the British Chambers of Commerce , the Confederation of British Industry , the Institute of Directors , the Federation of Small Businesses and Make UK were at the meeting. Bosses voiced their support after the meeting, but also hinted at the demands they made behind closed doors. Shevaun Haviland, director general of the BCC, said the group “outlined our priorities for the autumn Budget, recognising the public finance challenge”.He also said “things are worse than we ever imagined” because of a £22 billion “black hole” in the public finances.