'Huge sense of urgency' in supporting businesses

A GOVERNMENT Minister has stressed the “urgency” behind Whitehall’s efforts to support small and medium-sized businesses.

- TOM KEIGHLEY

Blair McDougall, the Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation, responded to criticism from FTSE100 boss Steve Hare of Sage plc about the way Government briefings about potential measures in the upcoming Budget had seeded uncertainty among businesses and prevented investment. It follows weeks of rampant speculation about the contents of the Chancellor's statement next week.

Mr McDougall, who was on Tyneside to launch the Government’s Business Growth Service roadshow, said: “There’s an element of this before every Budget, I think, and obviously people will not have to wait much longer. More broadly, I'd say, I've been in post for 10 weeks now and from the very beginning there's been this huge sense of urgency around supporting businesses - from SMEs, which are my bag, but also making rapid progress on the Industrial Strategy, which I oversee.