Vince Cable among high-profile sign-ups to ‘Business Buddy’ small business placement scheme
  22 July 2011    
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A string of high-profile MPs have now signed up to a scheme aimed at giving them first-hand experience of life at a small business.
 

Business Secretary Vince Cable, Shadow Education Secretary Andy Burnham and Green Party leader Caroline Lucas are among the 102 MPs now taking part in the Forum of Private Business's ‘Business Buddy' scheme.

They join eight ministers and seven shadow ministers, including Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Letwin, Tourism Minister John Penrose and Shadow Small Business Minister Chuka Umunna, who have already signed up to take part.
 
What is Business Buddy?

Business Buddy aims to help MPs understand the realities of running a small company by matching them up with Forum members in their constituencies during Parliament's summer recess. The visits will give MPs the opportunity to learn about the issues and challenges facing each firm and discover how legislation voted through in Westminster affects business owners on the ground.

The politicians involved can also try their hand at various different tasks and duties at the host companies in order to gain an in-depth understanding of how they operate. It is also hoped that the MPs who take part in Business Buddy will stay in touch with business owners long after the visits have taken place, creating a ‘hotline' for firms to communicate any future issues and concerns as they emerge.

Vince Cable's Business Buddy visit will take place next week at a luxury furniture manufacturer in his Twickenham constituency. Meanwhile, Caroline Lucas will spend time with a fruit and vegetable wholesalers in Brighton, Andy Burnham has been paired with a chemical company in Leigh and Tessa Jowell will visit a wholefood retailer in Brixton.
 
The Forum's Head of Campaigns, Jane Bennett, said: "We're delighted that so many prominent MPs have managed to take time out of their busy schedules to take part in our Business Buddy scheme.

"Obviously, we're especially pleased that Vince Cable has agreed to spend time with one of our members – it's quite something for the owner of a small company to be able to communicate their issues and concerns directly to the Business Secretary.

"However, every MP's involvement in the scheme is very valuable – it will give small business owners across the UK a voice in the corridors of power in Westminster and hopefully help to influence the business policies of the main political parties.

"The scheme will also be instrumental in helping to further the aims of our Get Britain Trading campaign, which calls for more help and understanding to be shown to small businesses by the Government and its various agencies."  
 
Small Business Minister Mark Prisk also backing Business Buddy 
 
Small Business Minister Mark Prisk has also given Business Buddy his personal support and urged his fellow MPs to get involved.
Mr Prisk said: "I encourage all members of Parliament who share my passion for UK business to make the most of the opportunity offered by the Forum of Private Business's Business Buddy scheme."
 
Background to the scheme

Business Buddy forms part of the Forum's new campaign, Get Britain Trading, which aims to highlight the huge contribution smaller businesses make to the UK economy and lobby for persistent obstacles to small business development, such as unnecessary red tape, to be removed.

The Business Buddy scheme came about after the Forum asked its members what would help them to ‘get trading' as part of the Get Britain Trading campaign.

Almost three quarters (74%) said they would like their elected representatives to focus their work on small businesses in their constituency, so the Business Buddy scheme was created to break down some of the barriers between business owners and their elected representatives.

Along with MPs, Scottish MSPs, Welsh AMs and MEPs are also taking part in Business Buddy.



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