Speaking to a room full of CEOs, investors and founders representing businesses of all sizes, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that entrepreneurs ‘have a friend in me’ and gave her personal commitment that the Treasury will do ‘all we can to see you succeed’. 

The reception in No11 Downing Street followed the International Investment Summit, which secured investment commitments worth £63bn, creating nearly 38,000 jobs.

The Chancellor wants to drive up investment and ensure that smaller businesses get the capital they need to scale-up, addressing a funding gap with a lack of access to finance, but there are concerns that potential hikes in employer national insurance will have a dampening effect on their growth.