David Cameron - supporting Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011

The UK is open for business and brimming with talent, innovation and entrepreneurial flair. Despite the difficult economic climate, the number of businesses in the UK continues to grow: today there are nearly 100,000 more small and medium sized businesses in the UK than there were at the start of 2010. That's a great achievement but we know we can do even better.

That is why I am so supportive of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011. It starts today and it continues to be the biggest celebration of enterprise in the UK. This year we expect at least 200,000 people to participate in events up and down the country, and over 10 million worldwide.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is about growing enterprise ambition and ensuring that those with ideas know where to get the support they need to make them a reality. It's about creating jobs and opportunities: small business in the UK employs nearly 60 per cent of the workforce and contributes almost half of UK turnover. That's why encouraging enterprise is vital to getting our economy growing.

Proof of our commitment to this agenda lies in the strong measures we are introducing to help entrepreneurs. We have the entrepreneur visa, to encourage the brightest talent from around the world to come to Britain, incentives for angel investors and an extension of the Enterprise Investment Scheme. Looking at business more broadly, we are simplifying the tax system in the UK and introducing a Patent Box to encourage firms to innovate in Britain. We are boosting tax relief for start ups, small business R&D and entrepreneurs. We want to get credit flowing and are looking at the options to increase access to credit for small firms.

But we are doing more than that - increasing investment and exports; rebalancing the economy by setting up Enterprise Zones across the country, encouraging inward investment; stimulating business growth across England through the Regional Growth Fund; and promoting British exports abroad. We are also creating the largest number of apprenticeships the UK has ever seen - 360,000 this year alone - and establishing University Technical Colleges to provide cutting edge vocational training.

This week is about showing off the talents of entrepreneurs in the UK and inspiring the entrepreneurs of the future. They have no greater champion than this Government. Every success story starts with someone taking the brave step of striking out on their own. The more we can encourage people to take that step, the better for them, for our economy, and for our country.

Rt. Hon. David Cameron MP

Prime Minister

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