Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they expect the rate of high street store closures and retail job losses to increase or decrease over the next two years; and on what evidence or modelling that assessment is based.

The Government has not undertaken any assessment or modelling on this subject.

Our Plan for Small and Medium Sized Businesses, published in July, places high streets at the centre of economic renewal, recognising them as vital centres of growth and employment. SMEs on the high street will also benefit from new tools to unlock access to finance, action on late payments and regulatory costs, greater digital adoption and easier pathways to business support through the Business Growth Service.