UK General Election: A Labour Government with a significant majority
The General Election on 4 July 2024 saw a new Labour Government elected with a huge majority – 172 seats. This was nearly as large as Tony Blair’s 1997 landslide victory. As result, there have been significant changes in MP representation across the country in constituencies that are home to furniture businesses. MPs who have been supportive of the sector and have left the House of Commons include Mark Eastwood, Maggie Throup, Steve Baker, and Stephen McPartland.
The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer MP, has appointed the following new Ministers who are relevant to the industry:
Department for Business and Trade:
Furniture sector (retail, manufacturing, and exports) – Minister Gareth Thomas MP
- Flammability regulations and employment rights – Minister Justin Madders MP
- Decarbonisation – Minister Sarah Jones MP (joint DESNZ role)
- Trade policy – Minister Douglas Alexander MP
DEFRA:
- Circular Economy – Minister Mary Creagh CBE MP
Department for Education:
- Skills – Minister Baroness Smith of Malvern
Over the coming months, the BFC will seek to develop new relationships with MPs in key seats across the country and raise policy issues that are of a concern to the sector with the newly appointed ministers.
BFC Executive Meetings (2 July and 4 September 2024)
The BFC Executive met on 2 July, shortly before the General Election, to discuss the impact that the election could have on existing relationships and the work required by the industry to develop relationships with newly elected MPs after the Election.
Brevia provided BFC Executive members with a template for email correspondence that could be used by their members to reach out to newly elected MPs, seek meetings and encourage involvement with the All-Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group (APPFIG).
The BFC Executive met again on 4 September to review the newly appointed Ministers, discuss policy issues that can be raised with Ministers and examine progress in finding new Officers for the APPFIG. On flammability regulations, the Executive discussed how the consultation response was still awaited from the Government and it remained an industry priority to see this.
Reforming the APPFIG
The General Election on 4 July 2024 meant that the All-Party Parliamentary Furniture Industry Group (APPFIG), along with all the other All-Party Groups, ceased to exist. In order to operate again, the Group requires reforming in the new Parliament. Significantly, the General Election saw three out of our four Group Officers lose their seats including the Chair Mark Eastwood. Mark has been an amazing supporter of the sector and it is very disappointing that he is no longer an MP.
To reform the Group, work has been undertaken by the BFC to identify a new Chair, Officers and Members of the Group that are required to make the Group officially registered. This includes letters from Jonathan Hindle to MPs in constituencies in key seats around the country that have a large number of furniture businesses. Members of the trade associations who are part of the BFC have also supported this initiative by writing to their local MPs and secured site visits from their MPs as a result. More of this activity will be needed by furniture companies across the UK in order to raise the profile of our industry as our lobbying power suffers compared to industries like Aerospace who have significant lobbying budgets. The furniture industry also has a large number of small businesses that are geographically diverse. As a fragmented industry with many small businesses, the industry needs to stand together more than ever in order to be successful in the face of the lobbying activities of other sectors that have significant, large businesses like Rolls Royce Plc.
Progress is being made on reforming the APPFIG. Jonathan Hindle and Phil Spademan held a productive meeting with Adam Thompson MP, the newly elected Labour MP for Erewash, on Tuesday 10 September and he has agreed to be nominated as the Group’s Chair. The Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, James Wild, has agreed to be nominated to serve as a Group Officer – an important step in restarting the Group as all APPGs require at least one Officer from the main opposition party. More meetings with potential Group Officers and Members are planned and we look forward to holding the inaugural meeting of the Group over the coming weeks.
Public Affairs Advisory Committee (29 July and 31 July 2024)
The BFC’s Public Affairs Advisory Committee (PAAC) met on 29 and 31 July. The PAAC discussed the policy issues affecting the industry with the aim of producing comprehensive industry asks for the newly elected government.
BFC Survey and a Plan for Growth
The BFC has conducted a survey that was put to members of the trade associations that sit on the BFC Executive. This data is being utilised in a manifesto-style document that will set out a plan for growth for the new government to consider.
Ongoing engagement with Government Departments
The BFC has continued to liaise with Civil Servants in the Department of Business and Trade to ensure that industry concerns and issues are brought to the immediate attention of government ministers. These have included labour shortages, flammability regulations, business rates relief, the future of skills and training, the cost of energy, increases in freight charges following recent events in the Red Sea, and supply chain challenges.
Flammability Regulations
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 (amended 1989, 1993 and 2010) are UK law and designed to ensure that upholstery components and composites used for furniture supplied in the UK meet specified ignition resistance levels. On 2 August 2023, the Office for Product Safety and Standards and the Department for Business and Trade published a consultation document entitled “Smarter Regulation: Fire Safety of Domestic Upholstered Furniture.”
The consultation proposed changes in various aspects of fire safety regulations for domestic upholstered furniture, including scope, essential safety requirements, conformity assessment, labelling, technical documentation, implementation timeline, and measures to reduce chemical flame retardants. The consultation closed on 24 October 2023. The BFC Executive submitted a response on behalf of the furniture industry to the consultation.
The BFC was expecting a response from the Government by the Autumn but the General Election has added uncertainty over when this will now happen. As part of the engagement work being undertaken by the BFC to reform the APPFIG, this issue is being raised with MPs.
On 4th October, Kim Leadbeater MP tabled a written question regarding flammability regulations asking the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his Department’s policy is on future furniture and furnishings fire safety regulations. The Minister’s reply is awaited.