We’re so back. Or more accurately, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Entrepreneurship is, of which we’re the Secretariat. We’ve got big plans for the year ahead, but are always open to new ideas, and very open to working in collaboration with others – more on this later.
We’ve been Secretariat of the APPG for Entrepreneurship since 2018, but APPGs have a far longer history, dating back, at least in a more formal structure, to 1937 when two backbench Members of Parliament set up an all-party American committee to extend the knowledge of the United States within the British Parliament and elsewhere. The British-American Parliamentary Group (BAPG) is still around and certainly has its work cut out!
APPGs offer MPs and Peers a way to collaborate outside the rigid structures of party whips. Over time, the number of APPGs boomed, with everything from Advertising to Zoos represented. As the number grew, so did the need for stricter regulation. As a consequence, there are now fewer APPGs overall, and fewer focused on those not-so-inconsequential topics of business and wealth creation. That’s why we think the APPG we run is one of the most important.
So how can you get involved? First, sign up for the APPG’s monthly newsletter. This will give you an insider’s view of what’s going on and coming up in Parliament that is relevant to entrepreneurs and those who support them. Second, let us know if you want to host an Officer or Member of the APPG for an event. And finally, we are looking for between three and five keystone sponsors to support the work of the APPG, so just let me know if this is something you’d be interested in.
We’re very excited about the APPG. Our Officers include Tris Osborne MP (Labour), Victoria Collins MP (Liberal Democrat), Lord Leigh of Hurley (Conservative) and Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea (Crossbench) – all representing different political traditions, but all united in their determination to do their bit in making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business.
We also have some exceptional Members, including serial entrepreneur Angus MacDonald MP, who founded eFinancialCareers among many other businesses, the Rt Hon the Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG (to give her full title), who sits on the Lords Science and Technology Committee, and rising star Callum Anderson MP who is the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Peter Kyle. The list goes on.
Truro to Tallinn
As we have argued ever since Britain voted to leave the European Union, it’s in each side’s interest to negotiate a UK-EU youth mobility scheme, replicating those we have with several other nations already. That’s why we welcome news that no fewer than 62 MPs have signed a letter calling for time-limited visas for 18- to 30-year-olds from Europe to travel and work freely in Britain, and vice versa. Briefings suggest that the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, is warming up the idea, albeit only if we insist on a ‘one-in, one-out’ approach to limit its contribution to net migration figures.
While I would like to see open travel, given the political constraints around immigration I’ve made this exact pragmatic case – after all, limited liberalisation is better than none at all. As regular readers may remember, I wrote:
“[J]ust 23,000 people came to the UK on Youth Mobility Visas in 2023, with as many young Brits going the other way (particularly to Australia). Also, most of these schemes are capped – Uruguay at 500 people, Canada at 8,000, and Australia at 45,000. We could negotiate for a capped EU Youth Mobility Visa scheme to offset the political risk associated with unexpectedly large numbers.”
Our country needs young blood. As our Research Director, Eamonn Ives, argued here last year:
“Like many countries, Britain’s population is steadily ageing. In 2022, around a fifth of the population were aged 65 years or older. Fifty years prior, the figure stood at 13%. Projections from the Office for National Statistics suggest that, 50 years hence, 27% of the population will be.
“While there are reasons to celebrate this trend – people living healthier, longer lives is surely a good thing – there’s no getting away from the fact that it also creates problems in need of solutions. A population which skews old means those of working age have to toil all the harder to cover the costs of pensions and other benefits.
“Allowing young, aspirational individuals to come into the country and contribute towards the economy is a surefire way to address this demographic dilemma. And if our analysis is anything to go by, it proves that immigrants play an outsized role right where it matters most – founding the fast-growing and innovative businesses that haul an economy into the future.”
On the subject of immigration, we’re on the lookout for a sponsor for Job Creators 2025. If you want to back one of our most impactful reports, get in touch.
Purposeful Profit
Britain’s Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) is a tax-advantaged way to reward employees and boost the growth of smaller companies. But while the economy has changed since it was first introduced, EMI hasn’t always kept up – with some now saying that it’s no longer fit for purpose.
We’re keen to test ideas for how it could be improved to ensure it is delivering for the companies it’s trying to support. If you have thoughts on EMI – either as a business owner who has offered it, an employee who’s made use of it, or other outside expertise – let us know and we’ll be in touch.