Rachel Reeves will pledge to refund visa fees for some global businesses on Tuesday, as she flies to the World Economic Forum in Davos aiming to showcase the UK as a haven of stability, despite Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats.

The chancellor, who will be accompanied by the business secretary, Peter Kyle, will hold a series of meetings with business leaders at the annual gathering of the global elite in the Swiss mountain resort.

She will announce tweaks to the visa regime aimed at encouraging “trailblazer” businesses to bring highly skilled staff to the UK – including refunding fees – and speeding up the time it takes to qualify as a sponsor of migrant workers.

“Some countries give you a platform, but Britain gives you momentum. My message at Davos this week is clear: choose Britain – it’s the best place in the world to invest,” the chancellor said in pre-released remarks.

She added: “This government is making sure Britain is home to the stability, talent and capital that businesses and investors want and that drive greater growth.”

She will stress Labour’s investment in industry, including steel and clean energy, as well as the commitment to renew transport infrastructure in the north of England.

However, the chancellor will be delivering her upbeat message at a meeting overshadowed by the row between the US and Europe over the future of Greenland.

Donald Trump, who is attending the World Economic Forum with the largest ever US delegation, will give a keynote speech to the gathering on Wednesday. His Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, is expected to face questions over US tariff plans when he appears on Tuesday.

Reeves pulled out of an event at the London Stock Exchange on Monday intended to celebrate a “new golden age” for the City, as markets wobbled in the face of Trump’s threat to slap 10% tariffs on eight European countries, including the UK, rising to 25% in June.

While her focus will be the global tech companies that are well represented at the event, the chancellor is also likely to face questions over a support package for hospitality businesses, aimed at cushioning the blow of changes to business rates made in her November budget.

As Reeves prepared to head to Davos, more than 130 hotel providers wrote to the chancellor to warn that business rate rises threatened to damage investment and jobs in the sector and urged her to announce a solution.

The signatories, including Butlin’s, Hilton, Marriott International and Travelodge, said planned changes to business rates “present the most significant challenge to accommodation providers in terms of their ongoing viability, and many will face tough decisions in terms of employment and their ability to invest”.

Ministers have been promising the measures for several days, but no details have yet been published. It follows a series of other Treasury U-turns, including over winter fuel allowance, welfare cuts and inheritance tax on farms.