"My Lords, during my time as a trade envoy to Rwanda and Uganda, I noticed first hand that UK businesses could open a bank account in those countries in less than five minutes, but it will take three months, if they are lucky, to open a bank account here. The …..." Lord Popat - View Speech
"My Lords, there are over a million Hindus and Sikhs living in this country who continue to face significant delays in securing a place at a crematorium, often long after their loved one has died. I have lobbied the previous Government on this issue, and I am pleased that the …..." Lord Popat - View Speech
"My Lords, many SMEs and start-up businesses are facing a challenging time, not just because of high taxation but because they are heavily regulated as well. To open a bank account can take as much as three months, registering VAT takes time and a contract with a lawyer could be …..." Lord Popat - View Speech
"My Lords, we as a country are heavily legislated for small companies. We see a large number of UK companies leaving the London Stock Exchange for New York, and a large number of people leaving the country for good. We do not celebrate wealth creation any more. To further burden …..." Lord Popat - View Speech
"My Lords, we are a highly regulated and highly taxed country; that has a big impact on SMEs. On regulation, to appoint a lawyer can take as much as two months, to open a bank account takes three months and even to register for VAT can take weeks. This NIC …..." Lord Popat - View Speech
"My Lords, no other country in the world taxes companies to employ people. We do that through our national insurance contributions, which are now going up from 13.8% to 15%. That will hit all our SMEs hard, which are the backbone of our economy. What will the Government do to …..." Lord Popat - View Speech
"My Lords, I declare my recent interest, having served as the Prime Minister’s trade envoy to Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC until the election. I am glad to have secured this debate.
Despite some progress, there is still a long way to go to change the narrative on Africa. Our …..." Lord Popat - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to (1) raise awareness among United Kingdom businesses of commercial opportunities in African markets, and (2) support United Kingdom exports to Africa...." Lord Popat - View Speech
"My Lords, I welcome the figures that my noble friend the Minister gave us, but our major problem is a trade deficit. This is not something new; it has been the case for the last four decades. In other words, we do not have enough exports to pay for imports. …..." Lord Popat - View Speech