Government is not delivering

FRIDAY saw the second reading of my Private Member's Bill, which is seeking to amend the Company Director (Duties) bill to ensure that company directors have to consider not only the interests of their shareholders, but also the environment and their employees as well.

- Martin Wrigley is MP for Newton Abbot

"A director of a company must act in the way he considers, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of - (a) its members as a whole, (b) the environment and (c) the company’s employees."

A few weeks ago, I visited Riverford Organic with my honourable friend Caroline Voaden MP in her constituency of South Devon - a certified B Corporation that exemplifies what happens when businesses put people and planet alongside profit. It’s not alone.

What struck out for me was how it operates: employee ownership - giving workers a real stake in the business creates commitment and innovation from the ground up.