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Toby Perkins MP : Thinking big for small businesses – an open dialogue with the Shadow Small Business Minister

Are you a business owner or planning to become one? Come and speak directly to the Shadow Small Business Minister, Toby Perkins MP about the issues affecting your business – from pre-start-up to growth. The session will be chaired by Mike Southon, a columnist for the Financial Times and co-author of the best seller, ‘The Beermat Entrepreneur’.

Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills The rugby-playing great-grandson of a famous Independent MP, Toby Perkins won Chesterfield back from the Liberal Democrats in 2010 at his first try, becoming the town’s first Labour MP since the retirement of Tony Benn in 2001. Five months later he converted his win into an astonishing early promotion and was the first of the new intake to stand at the Despatch Box, as a junior Shadow Education Minister. In October 2011 he was moved to the team shadowing Business, Innovation and Skills. A Chesterfield Borough councillor since 2003, he gave up his councillor’s allowance after being elected to Parliament. He helped set up the Chesterfield Flood Victims Appeal and is a director of a local co-operative which runs an early years nursery. He quickly became a very regular debater and questioner, with twenty-six contributions in his first three months, including interventions on school funding, academies, unemployment, the Finance Bill, voluntary organisations, local government finance and sport. He served on the Select Committee on Communities and Local Government and the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. He nominated David Miliband for the Labour Leadership and is currently Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills.