UK Spring Forecast falls short of expectations, says CIMA

3 March 2026, London - The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants' (CIMA) reaction to the UK Government's Spring Forecast is that it falls short of what is needed to instil levels of business confidence.

Andrew Harding, FCMA, CGMA, Chief Executive of CIMA said: "The Spring Forecast identified there is still a lot of work to be done to drive meaningful growth and address productivity. Whilst it is a positive message to talk about stability, we were hoping to see policy stimulation linked to skills, tax reform, and support for SMEs."

Prior to the statement, CIMA outlined six key policy priorities designed to incentivise employment, investment, and innovation in a letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves :

• Restoring business confidence through policy certainty, clarity, and effective communication

• Supporting investment and competitiveness through business taxation and reliefs

• Implementing a simpler and fairer personal tax framework to support work, investment, and growth

• Supporting SMEs to unlock growth

• Closing the skills gap

• Developing a coordinated productivity strategy