JBP

In her inaugural Budget, Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves has outlined Labour’s economic direction with a focus on “stabilising a strained economy” and addressing “long-term fiscal challenges.” Under the theme “Fixing the Foundations to Deliver Change,” the Budget addresses the projected £22 billion public finance gap with a carefully balanced approach of tax adjustments and targeted investments, positioning the UK for sustainable growth while reinforcing confidence in “sensible government” practices. Key highlights: - £70 billion National Wealth Fund for infrastructure and long-term growth projects - £100 billion in capital spending, expected to lift long-term GDP by 1.4% - Increased investment in public services with £22.6bn for NHS and £31bn in the capital budget - New incentives for retail and hospitality sectors, including business rate relief and a cut in draught beer duty Yet, the £40 billion in tax rises and increased National Insurance for employers have sparked debates. The media response reflects mixed feelings—some praise the public service boost, while others caution about potential economic drag from new taxes. The Labour Government has set a clear path, but challenges lie ahead in balancing growth and public trust. Read the full analysis by JBP's Political Affairs team to dive deeper into what these changes mean for the UK’s economic future!

The JBP team is excited to be attending the Western Gateway Convention at ICC Wales! Join Senior Account Manager Ellie Milone and Account Director Matthew Bacon to discuss how we can work together to shape a future-ready economy. We’d love to connect, so feel free to stop by for a chat!

Last night, we were delighted to host an evening reception with the East Midlands Combined County Authority, in line with JBP’s commitment to fostering strong partnerships between local authorities, regional leadership, and key contributors who are shaping the future of the region. Attendees included major players involved in building homes, energy infrastructure, transport networks, employment spaces, and funding critical projects. Mayor Claire Ward, our keynote speaker shared valuable insights on the county’s current development challenges. If you missed the event but would like to join us for our next one, feel free to reach out—we’d love to see you there!

Rachel Reeves is leading the way with a £21.7 billion investment to launch the UK's carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry—creating 50,000 jobs and positioning Britain as a leader in clean energy. This bold strategy includes the creation of Great British Energy and a national wealth fund to unlock private investment, boost infrastructure, and spread opportunity across the country. Read more on this vision for change in out latest article below👇 Written by Esther Mounce, Senior Account Executive at JBP 

Shwmae Caerdydd 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿   JBP is excited to announce the opening of our new office in Cardiff! This vibrant space will serve as the hub for our Digital, Marketing, Creative, and Wales Public Affairs teams, enabling us to bring even more innovative and impactful solutions to our clients. With this expansion, we’re thrilled to deepen our presence in Wales and continue delivering top-tier expertise across these key areas.

JBP's Strategic Engagement Director, James Hinchcliffe, attended the Conservative Party Conference yesterday. Below, he shares his comprehensive views the importance of developers and organisations doffing their cap to all political party conferences, even when they are not in power nationally.

Interesting day at the Conservative Party Conference 2024 in Birmingham. Heard lots about the positives and challenges of devolution/ combined authorities from a combination of those who got there in 2016 (West Midlands) and those who want to start ASAP, e.g. East Riding of Yorkshire, at the Institute for Government fringe event, followed by Richard Parker interviewed/ taking questions from the excellent Andrew Carter at the Centre for Cities fringe event about his new ways of working and future for his Mayoralty. All very appropriate since today is the deadline for Council’s to submit their proposals for devolution to the Secretary of State. Excellent contributions from all panellists. If you want to know a bit more about the ground covered in my copious notes - please message me!

Future Leap‘s Festival of Sustainable Business was in Bristol last week and it was a pleasure to represent JBP - especially when we play a key role in securing such a sustainable future for the South West. Fantastic to chat to so many colleagues across sectors about how JBP’s work in stakeholder engagement, political relations and strategic communications empowers clients to achieve their sustainable ambitions. If you want to follow up on any conversations we had on the day, drop me a message!

The JBP content team is on-site at Linde Material Handling UK - Castleford today, capturing content for a brand awareness campaign, stay tuned for the full results✨

Great to see some 220 plus attendees online for the webinar we organised for Linde Material Handling UK today, in partnership with Logistics Matters. During the hour long session, audience members heard lots of thought provoking and insightful perspectives on the topic of artificial intelligence and machine learning deployment in the area of intralogistics. This session is the latest in the Intralogistics Live series of webinars JBP has organised for Linde Material Handling which can be found here: https://bit.ly/3z98NKH A big thank you to our panel of experts, which included Martin Brickell, Clare Bottle FCILT 🇺🇦🕊, Vincent Harant, Aleksandar Krnjaic and Ian Abbott, as well to Dave Harries and Simon Duddy for their roles in the session. To view the webinar debate click here: https://bit.ly/4dR6WJq For more information on JBP’s range of logistics PR services please click here https://bit.ly/3Z9NLWQ and download our latest report on the future communications landscape in the logistics industry here: https://bit.ly/4gbZqKQ