Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the results of the survey conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses that one in seven small business owners plan to downsize, close or sell their companies during the next three months.

The Government has been clear in its commitment to making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business. The UK has a record 5.7 million private sector businesses at the start of 2017, an increase of 197,000 compared with the start of 2016 and just over 2 million more than in 2010. Through our Industrial Strategy we will create a business environment that helps small businesses thrive.