# British Chambers of Commerce

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The **British Chambers of Commerce** (**BCC**, formerly known prior to 1996 as the **Association of British Chambers of Commerce**[1]) is the national representative body of 53 [chambers of commerce](/source/Chamber_of_commerce) across the UK. The chambers represent 50,000 businesses, which the BCC claims employs 6 million people.[2]

## History

The organisation was founded in 1860 as the Association of Chambers of Commerce of the United Kingdom, following a 1859 meeting of the leaders of the Yorkshire Chambers of Commerce at the [Social Science Congress](/source/National_Association_for_the_Promotion_of_Social_Science) in [Bradford](/source/Bradford). During the 19th century, the organisation lobbied regarding a range of issues, including [intellectual property](/source/Intellectual_property) law, transport, [bankruptcy](/source/Bankruptcy) law, and [tariffs](/source/Tariff), and promoted adopting the [metric system](/source/Metric_system). By 1900, it had more than 50 [MPs](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom)) as honorary members. In 1919, the name was changed to the Association of British Chambers of Commerce. Post-World War 2, the organisation lobbied for the UK to join the European trade area.[3]

In 2016, the director-general of the organisation, [John Longworth](/source/John_Longworth_(businessman)) quit due his support of [Brexit](/source/Brexit), when 60% of BCC members supported EU membership.[4]

In modern times, the BCC has been regarded as less prominent than its rival, the [Confederation of British Industry](/source/Confederation_of_British_Industry) (CBI).[5] In 2023, the organisation set up the Business Council as a rival to the CBI, which had faced a crisis following sexual harassment and assault allegations.[6]

## See also

- [Confederation of British Industry](/source/Confederation_of_British_Industry)
- [Federation of Small Businesses](/source/Federation_of_Small_Businesses)
- [Make UK](/source/Make_UK)
- [Institute of Directors](/source/Institute_of_Directors)

## References

1. ["the British Chambers of Commerce"](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/british-chambers-of-commerce). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220503090203/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/british-chambers-of-commerce) 3 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-01-18.

1. Isaac, Anna (2023-10-08). ["'Our CEO has chancellors on speed-dial': Martha Lane Fox, British Chambers of Commerce president"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/oct/08/our-ceo-has-chancellors-on-speed-dial-martha-lane-fox-british-chambers-of-commerce-president). *The Guardian*. [ISSN 0261-3077](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2023-10-08.

1. ["ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE | London Metropolitan Archives"](https://search.lma.gov.uk/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/LMA_OPAC/web_detail/REFD+CLC~2FB~2F016?SESSIONSEARCH). *search.lma.gov.uk*. Retrieved 2023-10-08.

1. Ratcliffe, Rebecca & Syal, Rajeev (2016-03-07). ["EU referendum: John Longworth resigns as commerce boss over Brexit debate"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/mar/06/john-longworth-resigns-as-commerce-boss-over-brexit). *The Guardian*. [ISSN 0261-3077](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2023-10-08.

1. Pratley, Nils (2023-04-26). ["If the CBI is off the pitch, hand the captain's armband to the British Chambers of Commerce"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/nils-pratley-on-finance/2023/apr/26/cbi-british-chambers-of-commerce-martha-lane-fox). *The Guardian*. [ISSN 0261-3077](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2023-10-08.

1. Sweney, Mark (2023-06-05). ["New business lobby group launched as CBI faces crucial vote"](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/05/business-council-lobby-group-launched-cbi-faces-crucial-vote). *The Guardian*. [ISSN 0261-3077](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2023-10-08.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [British Chambers of Commerce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Chambers_of_Commerce) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Chambers_of_Commerce?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.