In a rapidly changing political and economic environment, businesses need clarity, confidence and delivery. Our 2026 policy priorities focus on three missions that reflect what matters most to firms across the UK: lowering the cost of doing business, accelerating delivery, and keeping the UK competitive in a fast-moving global economy.
Together, these missions set out how we will work with government to unlock investment, boost productivity and support sustainable growth.
Tackling the cost of doing business
Businesses want the UK to be a place where costs are competitive, rules are clear and investment decisions aren’t clouded by uncertainty. This mission focuses on stripping out unnecessary complexity across tax, regulation, employment and energy policy, so firms can plan with confidence and redirect resources towards innovation, growth and job creation.
Why it matters to members:
High costs, complex rules and constant change make it harder to invest, hire and grow. This mission is about improving the day-to-day commercial reality for businesses – freeing up time, cash and leadership focus to run and grow successful companies.
Securing workable employment reform that protects growth
Clear, practical employment reforms will reduce risk and give employers confidence to hire and invest in their workforce. That's why we'll:
- ensure employment reforms cut cost and risk for employers in practice
- remove unintended compliance costs and risk for firms.
Get involved: Contact Laurence Raeburn-Smith to join our Employment Rights Bill Working Group, Laurence Raeburn-Smith to join our Pensions Panel or Andy Scott to join our Employment Taxes Working Group.
Driving down energy costs while accelerating the transition
Lower, internationally competitive energy costs will strengthen UK manufacturing and attract long-term investment in low-carbon growth. That's why we'll:
- drive down industrial energy costs now to improve competitiveness
- accelerate a secure, low-carbon system that unlocks investment.
Get involved: Contact Jonathan Oxley to get involved in our policy engagement work.
Delivering business rates reform that supports investment
Modernising business rates will remove investment penalties and unlock productivity-enhancing capital spending. That's why we'll:
- reform business rates to end investment penalties and unlock growth
- remove distortions that block productivity and capital deployment.
Get involved: Contact Rahim Mohamed to join the Business Rates Working Group.
Simplifying tax to give businesses confidence to invest
A simpler, more stable tax system will give firms the certainty they need to invest for the long term. That's why we'll:
- simplify tax rules so businesses can make decisions with certainty
- make tax policy predictable and investment-friendly.
Get involved: Contact Andy Scott to find out more about how to get involved.
Cutting red tape and regulatory friction
Streamlined, consistent regulation will cut compliance burdens and allow businesses to scale more efficiently. That's why we'll:
- eliminate unnecessary regulation and slash compliance costs
- ensure consistent, predictable application of rules.
Get involved: Contact Alex Guest to explore joining the CBI’s Regulatory Reform Taskforce.
Strengthening cyber resilience as a core business capability
Embedding cyber resilience as a core business capability will protect growth, safeguard operations and build investor confidence. That's why we'll:
- support businesses to integrate cyber risk into core strategy
- Help firms build effective, scalable cyber risk defences.
Get involved: Contact Nicola Eckersley-Waites to join our Tech Adoption Working Group.
Fast-tracking delivery
Too often, slow decision-making, planning delays and fragmented delivery hold back investment. This mission champions a UK that moves at the pace modern business requires – with government and industry working together to clear bottlenecks, build capability and deliver major projects.
Why it matters to members:
Delays cost money, stall investment and create uncertainty. Faster, more coordinated delivery means businesses can plan with confidence, invest sooner and see policy decisions turn into real-world outcomes.
Unlocking stalled investment through planning reform
A quicker, more predictable planning system will unlock stalled investment and accelerate major project delivery. That's why we'll:
- speed up planning decisions to unlock investment now
- secure reforms that remove barriers blocking major project delivery.
Get involved: Contact Josh Male to join our Planning and Infrastructure Working Group.
Improving public procurement and partnership delivery
More effective procurement and public-private partnership frameworks will deliver better value and create stronger growth opportunities. That's why we'll:
- reform procurement frameworks to deliver predictable value and competition
- ensure public-private partnerships deliver real outcomes.
Get involved: Contact Nicola Eckersley-Waites for procurement of innovation activity, or Nicky Williams for PPP activity.
Fixing how the government delivers policy and projects
Stronger coordination and accountability will convert policy decisions into tangible outcomes more quickly. That's why we'll:
- drive reforms that improve government delivery pace, coordination and accountability
- ensure policy decisions translate into tangible outcomes faster.
Get involved: Contact Devon Geary to attend one of our Industrial Strategy Roadshow events.
Modernising tax administration through digitisation
Digitised, efficient tax systems will reduce administrative costs and free up time for growth. That's why we'll:
- digitise tax admin to cut business compliance cost and delays
- streamline tax compliance and delivery for firms.
Get involved: Contact Rahim Mohamed to join our Digital Tax Working Group.
Making devolution work for growth and jobs
Aligning national priorities with local delivery will unlock regional growth and job creation across the UK. That's why we'll:
- ensure national policy delivers growth locally
- drive delivery of national priorities across every UK nation.
Get involved: Contact Mark Goldstone to explore joining the UK Competitiveness Committee or read our Blueprint for UK Competitiveness.
Moving the dial on youth inactivity
There is an economic and moral imperative for government and business to work together to tackle rising youth inactivity and the almost one million young people who are out of education, employment and training (NEET). That’s why we’ll:
- ensure government’s youth agenda delivers for young people, businesses and growth
- outline the challenges confronting firms in this space as well as examples of best practice.
Get involved: Contact Evie Matthews to learn more about the Youth Employment project, and the People and Skills Network (PSN).
UK at the cutting edge
In a world of rapid technological change and intensifying global competition, the UK must stay on the front foot. This mission is about ensuring the UK remains a confident place to invest, innovate and trade – shaping the future rather than reacting to it.
Why it matters to members:
Competitiveness today depends on innovation, access to capital and strong global connections. This mission focuses on creating the conditions businesses need to scale, compete internationally and invest in the technologies and industries of the future.
Backing scale-ups to become globally consequential
A stronger scale-up environment will help high-growth firms expand domestically and compete internationally. That's why we'll:
- enable high-growth firms to scale domestically, not overseas
- create an environment where ambition turns into scale.
Get involved: Contact Nicola Eckersley-Waites to join our R&D Working Group.
Shaping pro-innovation AI and technology regulation
Clear, enabling tech regulation will give businesses confidence to invest and deploy emerging technologies responsibly. That's why we'll:
- set clear, pro-growth rules that reward innovation, not restrict it
- build certainty so firms invest confidently in tech.
Get involved: Contact Shivani Gupta to join our AI and Data Protection Working Group.
Strengthening capital markets to unlock growth
Deeper, more competitive capital markets will improve access to growth funding for scaling firms. That's why we'll:
- strengthen capital channels so firms can access growth funding more easily
- make UK capital markets globally competitive.
Get involved: Contact Tom Maitland to join our Capital Markets Working Group.
Reforming the UK’s listing regime
A modern listing framework will make the UK a more attractive and competitive place to list and raise capital. That's why we'll:
- update the listing regime to make the UK a more attractive and competitive place to list.
- modernise listing rules to support growth-stage companies.
Get involved: Contact Tom Maitland to join our Listed Companies Working Group.
Using tax and incentives to drive innovation
Simple, reliable innovation incentives will encourage sustained R&D investment and productivity gains. That's why we'll:
- ensure tax incentives drive real innovation investment
- simplify incentives so they steer growth not confusion.
Get involved: Contact Alice Jeffries to join the Innovation Taxes Working Group and to find out more about the Tax Committee.
Growing decarbonisation industries
Creating the conditions for UK low-carbon industries to scale and compete will drive jobs, exports and long-term competitiveness. That's why we'll:
- create the conditions for low-carbon industries to grow and scale
- make the energy transition a competitive advantage.
Get involved: Contact Tia Magrath to join our Demand Decarbonisation Working Group.
Strengthening economic security and resilience
Stronger supply chain and security resilience will protect growth in an increasingly volatile global environment. That's why we'll:
- equip UK firms to manage geopolitical and supply risks
- build operational resilience against real global shocks.
Get involved: Contact Helena Coe to join our Defence and Economic Growth Working Group.
Delivering a competitive trade and international strategy
A forward-looking trade and international strategy will expand market access and strengthen UK global competitiveness. That's why we'll:
- implement international tax rules so they protect UK competitiveness
- advance a forward-looking trade and international strategy that strengthens UK competitiveness.
Get involved: Contact Erin Henwood to discuss the CBI’s latest policy activity on trade, or view our international brochure.
A strong business voice in the devolved nations
We are engaging with all four UK governments to ensure policies reflect the needs of businesses across all nations.
- CBI Northern Ireland – get in touch with Claire Sullivan
- CBI Scotland – get in touch with Chris Kelly
- CBI Wales – get in touch with Leighton Jenkins
