Recommendation Progress Tracker
Tracking the UKTBC’s recommendations to Government
The UK Trade and Business Commission’s report, Trading our Way to Prosperity, made 114 recommendations to Government across several key policy areas.
As the Commission builds on the report’s recommendations, we are monitoring the trade landscape to evaluate how support is growing for our policies.
Overall progress
Our recommendations on the Board of Trade and regulatory alignment have been picked up by UK Labour, with Labour announcing its intentions to implement a new, independent Board of Trade and indicating interest in exploring regulatory alignment with the EU if they win the next election and form the next UK Government.
Our recommendation for a Youth Mobility Scheme has also seen key pick up, with indications that the current Conservative Government is looking to develop one with the EU. The practicalities of setting one up have proven challenging, but it is clear there is real buy-in to the recommendations developed by the UKTBC during the course of 2023.
Other organisations and think tanks have been supportive of the recommendations made, with support also coming from several industries and business sectors. Since writing the report, there have been some key changes and developments in Government policy, and some core recommendations have come to fruition. The UKTBC therefore urges the next UK Government to carefully consider the work that is still to be done and build on the recommendations already adopted through the pathways advised upon in the blueprint.
Tracking progress
Below, we have selected some of our core recommendations to highlight where support levels for these recommendations currently stand. Our monitoring of publications from a wide range of sources across the trade and policy-development landscape allows us to keep track of what governments, politicians, thought leaders and policy-makers are saying.
We look at the evidence as a whole, using our own judgement to decide its significance and arrive at our own assessment or estimate of progress towards each key recommendation being implemented. We show our assessment of progress visually using coloured progress bars like this example:
Key recommendations’ progress
UK-EU Regulatory alignment
The UK UK Government should adopt a general policy of regulatory alignment with EU standards and regulations unless it is not in the UK’s interests to do so.
Progress:
UK-EU Regulatory Cooperation Council
The UK should establish a UK-EU Regulatory Cooperation Council with the EU to maintain collaboration on regulatory matters between the UK and the EU.
Progress:
A new and independent UK Board of Trade
The UK Government should establish an independent agency, modelled after the highly regarded Swedish Board of Trade, which will be accountable to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
Progress:
Youth Mobility Scheme
The UK should negotiate bilateral and reciprocal youth mobility schemes with individual EU Member States. These schemes would allow young people between the ages of 18 and 35 to travel and work in both the UK and EU member states for up to five years.
Progress:
Horizon
The UK Government should revive UK participation in the Horizon research and innovation programme by negotiating an agreement with the EU that allows UK researchers and businesses to continue their participation in Horizon programmes.
Progress:
Mutual recognition
The UK Government should collaborate with the EU, professional associations and regulatory bodies to seek mutual recognition agreements in various fields, such as engineering, accounting, auditing, law, and architecture.
Progress:
SPS Agreement
The UK should negotiate a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and veterinary equivalence agreement with the EU to facilitate seamless trade in livestock, plants, and related products. The SPS agreement should support wider Government efforts to level the trading playing field for UK food producers.
Progress:
UKCA/CE marking
The UK Government should delay the mandatory use of the new UKCA marking until there is a clear demonstration that the marking offers tangible benefits to UK regulators, businesses and consumers.
Progress:
