Reacting to the appointment of a new supply chain advisor to Government, Hannah Essex, Co-executive Director of the BCC, said:

“We very much welcome the appointment of Sir David Lewis to advise the government on supply chain disruption and the creation of a Supply Chain Advisory Group and Industry Taskforce.

“For several weeks we have been calling on Government to get round the table with business and work together to find solutions to the big challenges facing firms large and small this autumn.

“Setting up a Business Supply Taskforce was also a key ask in our ‘Winter Plan for Business’ which we gave to the Government last week.

“Hopefully Sir David, and the new groups he co-chairs, will be able to hit the ground running and urgently address some of the critical issues damaging business conditions.

“The increasing pressure that businesses, especially SMEs, are facing around supply chain costs and disruption, labour shortages, price rises, soaring energy bills and taxes is becoming dire.

“The BCC’s most recent Quarterly Economic Survey shows that the economic recovery is on shaky ground as over two thirds of firms have yet to report any increase in investment or cashflow, and the position is even worse for smaller firms.

“Hopefully the government will also consider implementing further constructive solutions from our winter plan, not least on short-term visas, to see us through the difficult months ahead and enable businesses across the country to get back to growth and prosperity.”