Committee publication · Correspondence · 19 May 2026

Letter to the Secretary of State relating to the Industrial Strategy Bill, 29 April 2026

Summary

The Business and Trade Committee Chair writes to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade demanding urgent clarification on the Government's Industrial Strategy Bill. The committee had recommended in May 2025 that legislation be introduced as a priority to place the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council on a statutory footing. Nearly a year later, with no Bill tabled and the King's Speech imminent, the committee seeks confirmation the Government still intends to proceed, when, and what provisions it will contain.

Key findings

The Government committed in June 2025 to introduce an Industrial Strategy Bill to put the Advisory Council on a statutory footing with clearly defined duties and access to government data.
The committee recommended in May 2025 that this legislation be introduced 'first, and as a priority'.
As of 29 April 2026, no update has been provided on introduction timelines despite the urgency called for.
Evidence on 28 April from Dame Clare Barclay (Council Chair) and Greg Clark indicated the Council leadership regards statutory status as essential and views legislation as a 'statement of intent' for government commitment.
Dame Clare expressed doubt the Bill would feature in the 13 May King's Speech, potentially delaying introduction to mid-2027.

Tone

Adversarial

Topics

industrial-strategylegislationgovernancestatutory-framework

Key actors

Liam Byrne MP, Peter Kyle MP, Dame Clare Barclay, Greg Clark, Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, Department for Business and Trade

Notable line

“Such an omission would imply the necessary legislation may not now be introduced until mid-2027 at the earliest.”

Key Quotes

“Despite the urgency we called for, we have received no update on when the Government intends to introduce this legislation.”
— Liam Byrne MP · Expressing frustration at lack of government communication on timelines

“… part of why I accepted the job as chair”
— Dame Clare Barclay · Referring to the importance of the commitment to legislate for the Industrial Strategy Advisory Council

“… statement of intent”
— Greg Clark · Describing the value of legislation to demonstrate government commitment

“It is clear that this would not be in the spirit of the Committee's recommendation, and more importantly will contribute to uncertainty about the Government's commitment to its industrial ambitions.”
— Liam Byrne MP · Warning of the consequences of delaying the Bill to 2027

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗