Responding to the Queen’s Speech delivered by Prince Charles in the Houses of Parliament today, Richard Osborne, Chief Executive of Business Data Group and UKBF (UK Business Forums), said:
“Today’s inclusion of the Economic Crime Bill in the Queen’s Speech is both long-awaited and essential legislation for the UK’s economy and it is something that Business Data Group has campaigned tirelessly for over the last four years. This Bill must introduce preventative measures that will close the loopholes and stop the possibility of money laundering and dirty money in the first place.
Far too much taxpayers’ money has been lost because of delays in clamping down on economic crime, not least during the pandemic, which continues to have a significant impact on UK small businesses.
Business Data Group looks forward to working with Companies House, the government, and parliament to help bring this essential legislation into fruition in the near future. We are excited to see how and when the reforms will take place and, for the sake of British businesses, it is essential that there are no further delays from the government putting their words into action.
One glaring and very disappointing omission today was detail about how the government plans to help with the escalating cost of living. The spiralling prices and increases in inflation that continue to batter the British high street and business owners like those in the UKBF community have seemingly been ignored. We are yet to see exactly what the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bills mean in practical terms and, yet again, we need to see tangible outcomes from this speech and not just hollow words.”
