Topical Questions

Question

Soul Farm, which delivers organic and sustainable food, is an example of a co-operative business in my constituency that benefits its community. I also have the “Save the Stag” campaign in Ponsanooth, which is trying to take over and run the local pub, as has already been done at the Ship Inn at Portloe. Setting up or transitioning to a co-op model can be difficult. Will the Minister update me on what support the Government are providing to help new co-ops to start up and existing businesses to transition to employee ownership?

Question

The Government do not create jobs; business does. With unemployment rising, this is the last chance to ask the Secretary of State a question ahead of the start of April when a tsunami of business rate rises will hit. Shops and restaurants will see a 50% increase on average and the business rates of hotels will double. He and I both represent wonderful Sussex constituencies full of hospitality, high street and tourism businesses, but young people need those jobs. For their sake and for others, will he finally postpone his business rate rise?

Question

The Secretary of State forgets that I have not even been here for 14 years. Some days it feels like that, but I can assure him that it is not the case. There was no answer to that question, so let me try another. Does he agree that there is something pretty badly wrong with employment law in this country when Peter Mandelson, the friend of a convicted paedophile and leaker of classified Government documents, walks away with a £75,000 pay-off? The permanent secretary thinks that is good value for money. Will the Secretary of State review Labour's policy of uncapping employment tribunal payouts for the highest earners?

Question

I refer Members to my declaration of interest as a former employee of USDAW. The new rights of trade union access in the Employment Rights Act 2025 could be game changing, but there is a proposal to cap fines for breaking new rules at £75,000, which is loose change for union-busting employees like Amazon. Will my hon. Friend consider setting fines at a percentage of global turnover, as is the case for GDPR breaches and ticket touting websites?

Question

Small businesses in Bridgwater were hit last year with the Chancellor's jobs tax. This year, they face the additional burdens of the Secretary of State's unemployment Act and higher business rates. With petrol and diesel prices rising, the last thing they want is a fuel duty increase. Will he speak to the Chancellor and ask her to cancel her fuel duty rise in September?

Question

I am concerned about the progress of doubling the co-operative sector. Can the Minister update me on the progress towards achieving this ambition and what further measures are being brought forward to support co-operatives?

Question

What steps are the Government taking to support small businesses in the south-west to help them make the most of the summer tourist season?

Question

What is the Minister doing to ensure a level playing field and protect UK titanium dioxide production from aggressive Chinese practices?

Question

Would the Secretary of State care to discuss the effect of business rate relief on small businesses in Tonbridge?

Question

Does the Minister agree that the tariff cuts will grow the Scottish economy by £190 million a year and benefit the whisky industry?

Question

When will we see a significant improvement in export licence turnaround times?

Question

Will the Minister update the House on how Government support, such as the start-up loan scheme and the growth guarantee scheme, are helping young entrepreneurs and start-ups?

Question

Anchor Sound and Security explained to me how it is disincentivised to hire more employees due to rising compliance costs and regulatory uncertainty. What is the Minister doing to stop regulations stifling small business growth and destroying the strong relationships between employer and employees?

Question

I add my voice to that of my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford in calling on the Government to publish the review of market access for small breweries as soon as possible. Will the Secretary of State support a national guest beer agreement policy, so that more fantastic local brewers such as Moot are represented in my local pubs?

Question

Small-volume business manufacturers in the automotive sector are having a terrible time at the moment. They rely on exports, and exports to the US are critical. Although I welcome the agreement the Government struck, costs are still four times what they were before President Trump introduced his tariffs, and those businesses are also being squeezed by business rates and national insurance at home. Will the Secretary of State make urgent representations to the Chancellor? The market is very delicate, and something must be done to reduce costs.

Question

The Select Committee recently flagged that small businesses in our country now face pandemic-level pressures. In April, standing charges for energy are set to rise by 60%, with no price cap protection. Now, soaring oil and gas prices threaten to be the final straw for thousands of SMEs. Will the Secretary of State make an urgent assessment of the risk of soaring energy prices, and give a clear account of how we will keep the SMEs that keep this country running in business?

Question

Last time we were here for Business and Trade questions, I asked about exports of paraquat—the use of which is forbidden here—to other countries. To update the ministerial team, Syngenta put out a press release on 3 March to say that it would stop production this year. May I therefore expand my previous question to ensure that the response includes the export of pesticides and other products whose use is banned in the UK?

Question

The UK economy needs more and more critical minerals, and in Cornwall we have loads of them. Private capital has flown into the duchy on the back of the Labour Government's investments of about £100 million through the national wealth fund and the Kernow industrial growth fund, but will the Minister update the House on Government plans to unlock more private investment in our critical minerals sector to unleash the Cornish Celtic tiger?

Question

Since part of Grimsby falls in my constituency, I join my Member of Parliament, the hon. Member for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, in celebrating Great Grimsby Day. I recently attended a meeting with the hon. Member for Scunthorpe and a group of potential investors in the steel industry, who I know have made approaches to the Secretary of State. Can he give me an assurance that all potential private sector investments in the industry will be given serious consideration?

Question

I thank the Minister for speaking to me about the poor postal service in Dargavel Village in Bishopton. In Scotland we have an NHS with significant waiting lists, and we cannot have people missing medical appointments. May I stress the urgency of this matter?

Question

Yesterday I met representatives of the British Chambers of Commerce, who relayed the profound concerns of the UK automative industry that it might be excluded from the European Union's proposed industrial accelerator Act. What is the Secretary of State doing to ensure that the UK automotive sector is not placed at a competitive disadvantage?

Question

The sudden shift in steel import policy has created uncertainty for firms that have invested heavily in expanding their operations based on previously stable trading conditions. Will the Secretary of State commit to working with affected businesses in Scotland and provide clarity to prevent further disruption?

Question

Does the Minister agree that the big pension and investment companies need to pay more respect to our high streets and bring forward planning applications to redevelop and regenerate as soon as they possibly can?

Question

Will the Secretary of State confirm whether his Department is considering a transitional dual fuel discount for industries that will continue to use gas for the foreseeable future?