FBUK Advocacy
Labour’s return to government on 4 July was the landslide victory that most had expected. The 411 seats secured at the election (reduced to 403 after 7 suspensions and one resignation) gives the party an overwhelming majority in Parliament. Labour has replaced a sitting Conservative government just five times in the last 100 years. Yet this “historic” win was achieved with one of the lowest turnouts and vote shares ever. Nevertheless, with such a large majority in Parliament, we are under no illusion of the importance of making sure the voice of family businesses are heard in Government. Like all other organisations FBUK have been working to re- establish connections we built with Labour in opposition and build relationships with MPs and advisers new to Westminster. We have raised the importance of family businesses in every constituency in the country and the importance of Business Property Relief (BPR) to family businesses. Our message to government has been simple: BPR works. It is a positive story of how tax reliefs can be used to support growth and create opportunity for all. We have made good progress communicating this to government – corresponding with the Chancellor, attending meetings with policy officials in the Treasury and holding regular meetings with the Department for Business. As the leading organisation making the case for preserving Inheritance Tax reliefs
Martin Greig Chief Advocacy Officer (maternity cover) FBUK
The first 100 days of any new Government are critical. They move us beyond campaign slogans to the business of governing. The first 100 days can show us that a government is serious about getting things done. Walking the tightrope between business and the unions on employment legislation was never going to be easy – and so it has proved. If you would like to know more about our work in these areas, or get actively involved in policy, email info@familybusinessuk.org
for family-owned businesses, this will remain our number one priority. Labour promised to deliver four pieces of legislation in its first 100 days in government: railway privatisation, setting up GB Energy, reforming renter’s rights and an employment rights bill. Labour’s flagship policy - Make Work Pay - is a set of policies designed to redress what it describes as “one-sided flexibility” in the workplace. These rules impact family businesses across the country. The Bill is contentious. Some of the more headline grabbing reforms heralded during the election campaign, like giving employees the right to switch off away from work, have had to be dropped, for now. But reforms being pushed through, despite concerns of business, include reforms to sick pay, zero-hours contracts, cutting probationary periods, new rules around maternity pay and protections against unfair dismissal from day one. The detail of exactly how these policies will be implemented will, however, have to wait for secondary legislation while even more difficult issues, like reforming employment tribunals, have been pushed back long into the Parliament.
Given the importance of these issues to our members, and the existential nature of BPR, we will maximise every opportunity to raise these matters with Government.
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