Support your local shops and businesses in run-up to Christmas, urges Louth and Horncastle MP

So said the Conservative MP for the two towns, Victoria Atkins, in a message on the eve of this weekend’s annual Small Business Saturday event, which she is backing.

The Saturday initiative was created to encourage shoppers to take a closer look at local, independent businesses to see what they have to offer and to maybe focus their Christmas shopping on stores and firms close to home.

But after the Labour government brought in an increase that Ms Atkins describes as a tax on jobs, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimates it will cost businesses an additional £800 per employee.

And now there are fears for the future of some businesses in her Louth and Horncastle constituency and across the country.

She pointed out that the number of businesses closing, in the week after Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Budget, increased by 64 per cent, compared to the previous year.

Ms Atkins wants people to continue their support for high street businesses in Louth and Horncastle, not just this Saturday (December 7) but also throughout the run-up to Christmas to help give them a much-needed boost.

She said: “We are incredibly lucky to have so many fantastic and innovative small businesses across our constituency. They truly sit at the heart of so many of our villages and market towns and make up the lifeblood of our economy here.

“Having spoken to many of our business owners, I know many are deeply worried by the strain they have been put under by this Labour government’s decisions in the Budget this autumn.

"Labour has betrayed our businesses and risk damaging the economy and harming working people.

“I hope as many people as possible go out and support Small Business Saturday this weekend as it is a brilliant time to get out to your local high street and see what it can offer.

“In the Conservative Party, we will do everything possible, as an effective opposition, to stop Labour’s National Insurance jobs tax.”

Backed by American Express, the Small Business Saturday campaign is now in its 12th year in the UK and has grown significantly, encouraging millions of people to “shop small and local”.