Government and campaigns
We didn’t think we’d be saying this again so soon but once again, the UK has a new Prime Minister. We congratulate Rishi Sunak who became the first British Asian Prime Minister and the UK’s youngest Prime Minister in modern political history.
The former Chancellor takes the top job in government at a critical time for the UK’s economy. He will no doubt prioritise tackling the cost-of-living crisis, while trying to boost economic growth and balance the books. He’ll also be focused on uniting the Conservative Party after a particularly tumultuous period under Liz Truss.
The Chancellor’s plan to tackle the UK’s fiscal black hole will be outlined more in detail on 17 November during the Autumn Budget announcement – upgraded and delayed from the 31 October ‘medium-term fiscal statement’. Tax rises and spending cuts are expected but as ever, the Campaigns team will be watching this closely and providing an update for members.
New Prime ministers and budgets aside, the REC Campaigns team has had plenty of other things to focus on in the last couple of weeks. More on that below.
REC writes to Chancellor ahead of Autumn Budget
Ahead of the next fiscal statement, the REC has written to the Chancellor setting out some of the pragmatic steps that can be taken now to boost growth and productivity. In our letter, we shared the findings from our Overcoming Shortages report and highlighted the economic impact of not taking action on this. As well as the need for more unified thinking across government, we’ve also called for more flexibility in the Apprenticeship Levy, a wholesale review of the application of the off payroll working rules, more support for working parents, a more flexible immigration system and funding for labour market activation programmes like Kickstart and Restart to continue. You can read the letter here.
REC attends International Trade in Services Roadshow
As a member of the Trade in Services Council, the REC had the opportunity to head to Birmingham for International Trade Week, where we shared our views on what policy levers are needed to grow UK trade in professional services. This includes things like introducing more flexibility to the short-term global mobility visa, continuing to prioritise the expansion of youth mobility schemes, and supporting the establishment of UK companies overseas. It also provided an opportunity to talk about the huge value of UK recruitment to our economy.
Be aware of third-party organisations promising a place on a public sector framework
The REC has been made aware of third-party organisations approaching recruitment agencies and claiming that they can guarantee a placement in a framework for a fee. In particular, a number of agencies have been approached by firms claiming affiliation with the Crown Commercial Service, offering help with the NHS Workforce Alliance framework RM6277 Non-Clinical Staffing. No organisation or business can guarantee bidders a place on a framework. And Crown Commercial Service treats all bidders equally and in line with the published procurement procedures. If this sounds familiar, please get in touch with policy@rec.uk.com to report the business. You can view the statement from Crown Commercial Service here.
REC meeting with Department for Education supply workforce team
On 26 October, the REC met with officials from the supply workforce team at the Department for Education (DfE). The DfE reiterated their intention to conduct an in-depth survey of the current state of the UK supply teacher market. This survey has been delayed by the changes in secretary of state but is planned to go ahead later this year. DfE is keen for input from REC members operating in this sector, so more information on this will be shared as DfE finalise their plans.
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