Labour will set out measures aimed at protecting small businesses from late payments and anti-social behaviour on the high street as it continues to pitch itself as the party of law and order.
Legislation aiming to ensure invoices are paid on time would be introduced if the party wins the next general election, Jonathan Reynolds has said.
The shadow business secretary will also renew a pledge to roll out new “town centre police patrols” to “revitalise” Britain’s high streets as he delivers a speech in the east of England on Wednesday.
Mr Reynolds will set out the party’s plan for small businesses, which also includes scrapping business rates, publishing a trade strategy to boost small-business exports and “unlocking” the supply of patient capital for technology-intensive businesses.
Speaking ahead of his appearance at the first of Labour’s regional “small business roadshows” to be held across the country, the shadow minister said: “Small business is the beating heart of our economy. Breathing life into our high streets and delivering services that make our lives easier.
“When I speak to our talented founders and business owners many tell me they feel overlooked by the Government and, after 13 years of economic failure, it is getting harder and harder to run a successful business.
“Britain is brimming with driven entrepreneurs and Labour will work hand in hand with them to ensure the next Labour government is offering the firm foundations they need to prosper and grow. Labour is proud to back our small businesses and this plan is a serious blueprint to create the long-term environment businesses across the country are crying out for.”
Labour said the plan was drawn up from conversations with small companies about the biggest challenges they would like to see addressed as the party seeks to burnish its pro-business credentials.
Both main parties have also ramped up commitments on law and order in recent months ahead of a likely general election next year.
Labour has repeatedly promised to boost town-centre policing, with Sir Keir Starmer echoing New Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair’s “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime” rhetoric from the 1990s.
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak put a series of criminal justice proposals at the heart of the King’s Speech, with senior Tories believing a focus on “bread and butter” Conservative issues will help as he seeks to overturn Labour’s opinion poll lead.
