Reminder: Labour meeting for freelancers tonight (Mon, Sept 29)

UKTECH and the Labour Small Business Forum are holding a fringe meeting tonight (Monday, September 29, 2003) at the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth.

The event, 'Is Labour the Party of and for small business?' is being held at Marsham Court Hotel, Russell Cotes Road, Bournemouth from 5.30 to 6.30pm. Entrance is free and no security accreditation is required.

Two Government Ministers and the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group will be speaking. Philip Ross, founder of Labour Small Business Group, will be chairing the event. Questions to the panel will be taken after the presentations.

Philip Ross has been an active campaigner on issues relating to freelancers for a number of years. He led the campaign to remove fast track visas from the skills shortage list; gave evidence to the All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group at its recent enquiry into freelancers; and is the only person to have spoken from the platform at Labour Party conference on two occasions in support of freelancers - including an attack on IR35 in 1999.

The other panelists are:

• Nigel Griffiths MP, Minister for Small Business at the DTI.


• John Healey MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury


• Kerry Pollard MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group

Fringe meetings

Fringe meetings are an industry in their own right at Party Conferences. While the televised events occur in the Conference Hall, there is an active round of hundreds of 'fringe' meetings where lobby groups, corporate organisations, charities and a variety of interest groups hold smaller meetings to press their case or make their voice heard.

These tend to be dominated by health, overseas and social policy issues. The voice of small business is often lost in this arena.

Philip has secured the attendance of two Government Ministers and hopes that this will be the beginning of an annual feature on the fringe circuit.

Last year, I wrote an article which explained the significance of the fringe meetings at Party Conference.

In it I said, "Small businesses in general and the freelance sector in particular - and IT and other knowledge-based industries - are virtually absent."

This year, Philip and UKTECH have created the forum. You are now invited to attend and make sure that it becomes a 'must have' event at future Conferences.

For more information phone Susie Hughes or Philip Ross on 07703 486276.