VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Business: West Yorkshire

Asked by Imran HussainLabourDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 23 February 2026UIN 112666

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) start-ups and (b) scale-ups in (i) Bradford and (ii) West Yorkshire.

Answered by Blair McDougall

Through the Industrial Strategy, Small Business Plan and Budget 2025, the government is backing small businesses to start, scale and stay in the UK.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has integrated its support for businesses in a single, accessible place – the Business Growth Service. UK businesses, including those in West Yorkshire, can access our wide range of support via business.gov.uk. We're engaging more closely with founders and scaling firms, understanding the support required to unblock barriers and help scale-ups realise their full potential.

The recent Made in West Yorkshire Sold to the World event provided a great opportunity to strengthen DBT’s partnerships across the region.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim