This Library Note provides background reading for the debate on 5 July on the international competitiveness of UK industry, exports and attracting inward investment.
Debate on 5 July: The International Competitiveness of UK Industry, Exporting to Global Markets and Attracting Inward Investment (416KB PDF)
This Library Note provides background reading for the debate to be held on Thursday 5 July: “The international competitiveness of UK industry, its success in attracting inward investment and exporting to global markets, and its role in strengthening the United Kingdom’s economy and in job creation”. It considers the most recently published economic data indicating the competitiveness of UK industry, focusing in particular on recent figures for UK exports and foreign inward investment. It also examines the debate about the role UK companies might play in ensuring an economic recovery by the targeting of new markets for trade and inward investment, and the debate as to whether the Government should pursue a more activist industrial strategy.
Debate on 5 July: The International Competitiveness of UK Industry, Exporting to Global Markets and Attracting Inward Investment (416KB PDF)
Concerns have been raised about levels of welfare spending in the UK and increasing numbers of young people not in education, employment or training. This briefing sets out statistics, government policy and commentary on welfare and youth employment. This includes the government’s youth guarantee, its ‘Get Britain working’ policies and the interim report by Alan Milburn on young people and work.
Rural areas contribute a significant proportion of England’s economic output. The government has announced several policies intended to support growth in the rural economy, including farming. However, it has faced criticism for the delay in outlining its overall strategy for the agricultural sector. This briefing provides data on the rural economy and summarises government policy and stakeholder reaction
The Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL] is a government bill that would make reforms to several areas of financial regulation, including reforms to the Financial Ombudsman Service, abolishing the Payment Systems Regulator, introducing a ‘provisional licences’ authorisation scheme, and making reforms to the UK’s bank ring-fencing regime. Its second reading in the House of Lords is scheduled to take place on 8 June 2026.
![Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL]: HL Bill 5 of 2026–27](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/tadas-petrokas-G7nWQwb6AP4-unsplash-568x320.jpg)