I know from a recent business roundtable I hosted in my constituency of Bathgate and Linlithgow, and from many meetings with industry, that a common barrier to small business exports is supply chain instability. In the past few years, we have seen massive instability, including from the impact of the pandemic and now from the announcement of tariffs. Disrupted demand forecasting, increased costs of raw materials and uncertainty are damaging fledgling businesses in growing their exports. What specific measures is the Department implementing to help small businesses navigate these challenges, and to ensure they can maintain reliable supply chains as we enter another turbulent time for international trade?

I recently visited Phoenox Textiles in Denby Dale, a family-run business that proudly continues our community’s heritage in the sector. It raised the concern that, while it operates a “zero to landfill” operation, low-quality, unsustainable imports from Chinese sellers such as Temu undercut its business and the local growth that it sustains. How are the Government addressing this concern, and what are they doing to support British businesses?