It's time we put women at the heart of UK growth plans

As Britain faces another moment of truth with the Budget, the message from Keir Starmer is clear: the country needs growth, and it needs it fast. Productivity has stalled, costs remain high, and many sectors are fragile after years of economic shocks. We need a new strategy rooted in the realities of the entrepreneurs who keep it moving. And right now, too many of those entrepreneurs remain invisible.

- TAMARA GILLAN

The UK talks confidently about innovation and investment. But it routinely overlooks a large number of the founders who contribute most reliably to growth: women-led and minority-led businesses. These entrepreneurs are building high-performing companies, employing millions, and fuelling communities. They are powering Britain's recovery, yet policy, investment, and visibility still lag behind their impact. This is not a diversity issue. It's a growth issue.

Women-led businesses are outperforming expectations by every measure. Turnover growth in women-led firms jumped to 24.6 per cent in 2024, outpacing male-led businesses at 21.6 per cent. Women-led companies contribute over £85bn annually to the UK economy. It bears repeating: if women-led businesses scaled at the same rate as men, the UK could unlock £250bn in untapped value.

When we talk about growth, there are too many entrepreneurs being left out of the conversation.

The government is right to champion schemes like SEIS (Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme) and EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme), which give income tax relief for startups, but these schemes haven't reached everyone: female-founded businesses still receive a tiny share of investment, aligned with the 2 per cent of VC funding that goes to women-led companies.