Two of Britain's business organisations have given a broadly warm reception to Andrew Griffith's speech at the Conservative Party Conference, while warning that ambition alone will not be enough to get the economy moving.

The shadow chancellor's promise to cut taxes and give firms more breathing room on future bills was welcomed by the British Chambers of Commerce, whose Director of Policy, Kate Shoesmith, said it would help businesses "plan with confidence and unlock much needed investment in the UK economy".

The complexity of the current tax system, she argued, adds cost, eats into management time and ties up resources, leaving business leaders more cautious than they would otherwise be. Returning Britain to strong and consistent growth, in the BCC's view, means cutting costs across the board, from energy and tax to employment regulation.

Mr Griffith's backing for a third runway at Heathrow also drew praise, with Ms Shoesmith describing it as a strong signal that critical national infrastructure, and investment in major projects, matters.

His emphasis on faster planning and proportionate regulation chimes with long-standing Chamber demands, although the BCC stressed that planning departments need more resources if change is to arrive at any pace. The organisation is seeking to help close that gap through its Planning Skills Fund, supported by private-sector contributions, and wants businesses given a seat at the table in local and regional decision-making.

There was, however, a note of caution on how far deregulation should go. "Businesses want good regulation, not no regulation," Ms Shoesmith said, warning that cutting too deeply might deliver short-term gains but drive up longer-term costs through poor standards and weak oversight.

That theme was echoed by the CBI. Its Chief Policy and Campaigns Officer, John Foster, said the shadow Chancellor was right to place competitiveness and private-sector growth at the centre of the economic debate.

Firms, he said, have been telling the CBI consistently that the combined weight of tax, regulation, high energy costs and delays to major investment is making it harder to hire, invest and grow. He pointed to several CBI priorities reflected in the speech, notably tax simplification, a lighter regulatory burden, support for Heathrow expansion and a commitment to speed up new nuclear.

"But getting the policy framework right matters just as much as the ambition," Mr Foster added. Business, he said, values stability and certainty as highly as lower costs, and where regulation is failing the answer should be targeted, evidence-led reform rather than wholesale removal.

He singled out the energy transition as an area demanding particular care. The UK, he said, urgently needs to bring down business electricity costs that rank among the highest in the developed world, but affordability and decarbonisation should support rather than undermine one another.

Mr Foster said it was encouraging that the political conversation is increasingly focused on how to make the UK an easier place to invest, hire and build, and confirmed that the CBI would work with parties across the spectrum on practical reforms.

The message from both organisations was clear enough: the direction of travel is welcome, but business will be judging the destination, not the speech.