Global risks are here and their complexity and impact is growing. Climate change, cyber crime, malevolent artificial intelligence, fuel (in)security, are all threats that our Government is wrestling with. Their response is often to introduce policies and regulatory controls to ‘manage’ the issues.

Inevitably these policies and regulations will affect business with the real likelihood of increasing costs, reducing opportunities and profits. If one needs proof of the scale of the pipeline then a wake-up call might be the fact that over the past 6 months alone, government issued over 900 policy papers, consultations or calls for evidence!

Managing this risk is now a priority. The promising news is that businesses can help and shape policy and reduce regulatory impacts by actively engaging with Government on the thinking, even at an early stage in the process.

So what exactly is in the pipeline? Even as I write a quick scan revealed calls for evidence on making the National Security and Investments Act more business friendly, a roadmap for a smart data economy across seven sectors, and on views on a transport adaptation strategy. Many, many more exist.

You might think that with a General Election coming later this year government policy work grinds to a halt as Ministers increasingly focus on their election prospects. You’d be mistaken. There are numerous policy areas where work continues, where civil servants can roll the pitch for Ministerial decisions post election. As an example, calls for evidence signal that early policy thinking and evidence gathering is being done and these present an opportunity for businesses to influence at an early stage.

How should individual businesses make their influence felt?

The UK Government is very open to engaging directly with business and want to access external expertise and hear advice and ideas. However, for this engagement to be effective they are seeking the genuine voice of business. Your inhouse team should be mobilised to re-shape the legislation and regulation that is being formulated today.

Inevitably with any Governmental interaction there are approaches and processes that need to be followed. From the outset these may seem opaque and over-complex but once the pathways to dialogue are understood the opportunities will become clear.

This is only the beginning, looking at the future challenges we all face, I believe government and the business community will need to overhaul its policy-making relationship. We need a much greater emphasis on co-creation of policy from the outset and with businesses having more agency throughout the process. Those that organise themselves to provide early engagement now will reap rewards in the future.

Clare Dobson, Director, The Policy Key