An open invite for Dr Liam Fox...

This morning’s headlines are full of Trade Minister Dr Liam Fox, and his comments to the Conservative Way Forward meeting, where he described British businesses as fat and lazy and suggested that British businesses are choosing not to export because it is too difficult or time-consuming.

Many business leaders have reacted angrily; Richard Reed of Innocent Drinks asked “how dare he?” on Radio Four’s Today programme this morning.

At the BGP (Business Growth Programme), our view is very different. We see our growing businesses as a key part of the growth engine of the economy. We help many of these businesses to grow at Cranfield, and what we see are hard working and energetic entrepreneurs running lean and successful businesses who are working with us to better prepare themselves for the road ahead, and who are alert to any opportunity for growth, be it inside or outside the UK.

We’d love to invite Dr Liam Fox to come and visit us at the Cranfield Business Growth Programme, to see what’s really happening in the UK’s growing businesses, and perhaps to understand how his department could best help UK businesses succeed.

This is a genuine offer, we urge Dr Liam Fox to contact us and we would also extend this offer to journalists and publications that would like a real insight into today's growing business.

For all enquiries please contact Carol Foussat (Deputy Programme Director for BGP) - c.foussat@cranfield.ac.uk.