Ministers in Davos to spotlight UK’s investment offer to global business leaders
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-21)

Ministers will be banging the drum for Britain at Davos this week, with the most visible UK Government presence in recent years pitching the UK’s investment offer to top business chiefs.

Chancellor and Business Secretary at World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos this week

Ministers will meet CEOs and investors to bang the drum for British business

UK delegation to tell global business leaders and investors that the time to invest in Britain is now

Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will meet with leading members of the global business community to encourage them to put their money into the UK and back British business.

They will highlight the UK’s political and economic stability, making us an attractive place to do business. This is backed by an unashamedly pro-business government that is slashing burdensome regulation, launching ambitious planning reform, and leveraging our trade relationships with Europe, America, Asia, the Gulf and beyond to help businesses use Britain as their base to connect with exciting global markets.

The visit will continue to deliver on the government’s number one mission to grow the economy and raise living standards for working people, coming days after the IMF revised their growth forecast for the UK economy upwards for next year.

The government’s Davos attendance also follows a survey from consultancy firm PwC, who on Monday ranked the UK as the second most investible location globally after the U.S. – the first time the UK has secured this position in the 28-year history of the survey.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said:

Business leaders and investors need to know that the UK is where their businesses will flourish, so I’m meeting them face to face in Davos to make our case. We are one of the most exciting places in the world for them to put their money, with a history of innovation, a skilled workforce and a stable government that backs business.

I will not rest until the UK economy is growing and this government is delivering on its Plan for Change, so we can put more money in people’s pockets. The time to invest in Britain is now.

The Chancellor will be on the ground at Davos on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 January. She and the Business Secretary will speak at a Bloomberg event on Wednesday morning. She will also speak at the Country Strategic Dialogue alongside Ruth Porat, president and CIO of Google and Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, to over 80 global CEOs and business leaders from across tech, financial services and green industries. In the evening the Chancellor will attend the Global Goals dinner.

On Thursday, the Chancellor will take part in a fireside chat with the Wall Street Journal to an audience of business leaders, following which she will speak at an economy roundtable with fellow finance ministers on global issues. The Chancellor will also speak at a lunch hosted by the CBI to an audience of 50 senior executives from UK-based businesses and international investors.

Meetings are planned with a wide range of CEOs and business leaders, including Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan, Jo Taylor, president of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs – amongst others.

The Business and Trade Secretary will have bilateral meetings with many of his international trade counterparts, including Robert Habeck, Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Maros Sefcovic, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. He will also meet with a range of businesses and investors, including AON; Anglo American; AWS; Carlsberg; Capgemini; Honeywell; RWE; and SABIC.

Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds said:

Britain is back in business under this government, and our Plan for Change is already delivering for working people.

The UK is the most connected market on earth, and we will continue to be the home for innovative businesses looking to face outwards to the world. We’ve lifted barriers to investment and secured £63 billion at the International Investment Summit, creating thousands of jobs in the process. These investments promise better wages, stronger communities, and better services and I’ll be at Davos to build on this momentum.

The UK Government’s presence at Davos will also be the most visible in years, with print and out of home marketing promoting the UK’s connectivity, openness and opportunity to coincide with the summit.

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Executive, said:

Boosting global trade remains a central component of the government’s growth mission, and that’s why it is so important to use this opportunity to fly the flag for British business and secure vital investment for the UK economy.

As we navigate a world of uncertainty and tensions, the UK must use its position as a G7 nation to champion free and fair trade and the benefits it delivers not just for our economy and society, but also in delivering the investment needed to tackle climate change and other global challenges.