To make itself more effective the Business Council has organised itself into a series of working groups.
The Financial & Professional Services Working Group seeks to look at issues both for people working in its own sector
The Energy Working Group was the first one established by the UAE-UK Business Council back in 2011.
The Healthcare and Life Sciences Working Group seeks to help UK companies setting up in the UAE
Developing and promoting excellence in the infrastructure industry.
looking to the future of the infrastructure sector.
The Education & Training Working Group focuses on preparing the education sector for the future.
The Security & Aerospace Working Group is a new addition to the UAE
Useful articles for those thinking of doing business in the UAE
The UAE has made huge progress diversifying its economy
The UK has the 5th largest national economy in the world
The UAE-UK Business Council has committed to help increase bilateral trade and investment to £25bn by 2020.
The cooperation agreements between the UAE and UK reflect the depth and strength of the bilateral relationship
Ensuring the implementation of the Business Council’s action plan
Working with others
POLITICAL & ECONOMIC OVERVIEW - UK
The political and economic situations in the UAE and UK are quite different. This page aims to give a brief overview of the UK system.
The UK political system is a multi-party system. Since the 1920s. the two largest political parties have been the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. The current prime minister is Boris Johnson, who took office on 23 July 2019. He is the leader of the Conservative Party.
The United Kingdom European Union (EU) membership referendum took place on 23 June 2016 to gauge support for the UK either remaining a member of or leaving the EU. The referendum resulted in a simple majority of 51.9% being in favour of leaving the EU. Although legally the referendum was non-binding, the government of that time had promised to implement the result, and it initiated the official EU withdrawal process on 29 March 2017. The UK is on course to leave the EU by 31 January 2020.
In 2016, the UK was the tenth-largest goods exporter in the world and the fifth-largest goods importer. It also had the second-largest inward foreign direct investment, and the third-largest outward foreign direct investment.
The service sector dominates the UK economy, contributing around 80% of GDP; the financial services industry is particularly important, and London is the world's largest financial centre. Britain's aerospace industry is the second-largest national aerospace industry. Its pharmaceutical industry, the tenth-largest in the world, plays an important role in the economy. Of the world's 500 largest companies, 26 are headquartered in the UK.
Taxation in the United Kingdom may involve payments to at least two different levels of government: local government and central government (HM Revenue & Customs). Local government is financed by grants from central government funds, business rates, council tax, and, increasingly, fees and charges such as those from on-street parking. Central government revenues are mainly from income tax, national insurance, value added tax, corporation tax and fuel duty.