As Vice Chair of the Manufacturing Commission, I supported research into the challenges and opportunities for SME manufacturing in the UK.

Our review finds that despite representing over 99% of manufacturing businesses, SMEs face barriers that threaten both their own survival and the success of the Government’s economic growth mission. The report identifies four critical areas where policy support is failing manufacturing SMEs, including: access to finance, crippling energy costs, threats to sovereign capability, and inadequate business support.