The future belongs to entrepreneurs

‘Who thinks the UK is the best place in Europe to start a business?’ asked Spectator editor Fraser Nelson. Almost everyone at the table raised a hand. ‘So that’s a pretty good start…’

In the dining room of Drummonds Bank  — a fine example of 18^th Century entrepreneurship — The Spectator and NatWest brought together an eclectic group of entrepreneurs, investors and Labour’s shadow business secretary Angela Eagle MP, to discuss opportunities and obstacles for start-ups and scale-ups. The question for the table was what government and banks can do better to help turn great ideas into growing businesses?

Alison Rose, NatWest’s Chief Executive of Commercial & Private Banking, set the scene: Recent research shows that more than half of adults in Britain would like to be self employed, a record 27 per cent say now is a good time to start a business but more than half of people who would like to set up a business are held back by a fear of failure and don’t know where to go for help.