First major small business gathering since the General Election
First major small business gathering since the General Election
More than two hundred guests from the business community will be attending the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Summer Reception at the House of Commons tonight (22.06.15). It is the first major meeting of small business owners, government ministers and cross-party politicians, since the General Election.
Providing the keynote address will be the newly appointed Business Secretary, the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP. The Small Business Minister, the Rt Hon Anna Soubry MP, will also be in attendance. FSB members will be looking forward to hearing the Government’s plans around addressing the key policy priorities of small businesses, including tackling late payments, cutting red tape, boosting productivity and reforming business rates.
The reception comes as the FSB’s latest FSB research ‘Voice of Small Business Index’ shows that small businesses are in a robust mood amid record levels of confidence across the UK. Confidence has picked up markedly in the second quarter, with growth and investment intentions reaching new heights since the Index began in 2010.
The FSB event will also be the first opportunity for grass-roots members of the business community, from every nation and region of the UK, to hear from the Business Secretary first-hand, as well as from MPs representing all of the UK’s major parties.
Business Secretary, Sajid Javid said:
“Britain is the jobs factory of Europe – and small businesses are the power plants that make it all possible. We want to make this country the best place in the world to start and grow a business, so we can continue to create those jobs and support people who want to work hard and get on.”
John Allan, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said:
“We are delighted to welcome the Business Secretary, Ministers, MPs and Peers from all major parties to our Summer Reception. In our business manifesto, FSB pushed for better representation at the very centre of Government, so we are pleased our members will meet Small Business Minister Anna Soubry who now attends Cabinet. It comes at a particularly buoyant period for small businesses as confidence, revenues and profits are on the rise. However focus needs to be drawn to the disparity between the dominant South East and the Midlands, compared to the rest of the UK.”
Notes to Editors
1) The FSB is the UK's leading business organisation with around 200,000 members. It exists to protect and promote the interests of the UK’s Real-Life Entrepreneurs who run their own business. More information is available at www.fsb.org.uk and follow on twitter @fsb_policy
Media contacts:
Emma Smailes
07917 628918
Emma.Smailes@fsb.org.uk