New MPs bring spirit of enterprise to commons

Small businesses are hoping for a more sympathetic treatment in the new Parliament after the election of a raft of entrepreneurs to the House of Commons, an industry group said today.

More than one-quarter of the intake of MPs has experience of working for themselves or for a family firm, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said, describing the influx as a "watershed".

The new blood includes a tea importer, graphic designer, purveyor of Caribbean food, a video producer and a fireworks maker, as well as the usual contingent of barristers.

The FSB said 35 out of the 124 first-time MPs had direct business experience.

The vast majority of 25 were Conservatives, although this might reflect the swing of votes in the election as much as the traditional background of Tory MPs.

There were six Labour MPs, three Liberal Democrats and one Scottish National Party MP - Angus MacNeil - who is a crofter.

John Walker, FSB's national policy chairman, said: "Entrepreneurs create jobs and generate wealth but until now they have been under-represented in the House of Commons. We hope they will draw on their past experience and stick up for the 4 million people in this country who run their own business."

The FSB said a surprisingly large number of Tory MPs had built successful business in books, as publishers (Graham Stuart, John Penrose and Jeremy Hunt), printers (Grant Shapps) or retailers (Philip Dunne of Ottakar's Books."

"With so many new MPs having worked for themselves, this election may have represented a watershed," Mr Walker said.

Meanwhile, research shows that the pressure of running a small business has hit the health of Britain's entrepreneurs.

A survey of 400 small business owners, by the software firm MYOB, showed many suffered from tension, anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure , drank and smoked too much and did not spend enough time with their family.

Half of those questioned spent three hours a week on accounts administration.

Three from the boardroom

* MP Adam Afriyie, 39. Windsor (Conservative). Business: Connect Support Services (managing director). Description: Founded in 1993, it claims to be the market leader for computer support to small and medium-sized firms.

* MP Lynne Featherstone, 53. Hornsey & Wood Green (Liberal Democrat). Business: Graphic design consultancy. Description: Until 1997 she was a strategic design consultant. In 1980-87 she was managing director of Inhouse Outhouse Design.

* MP Gordon Banks, 49, Ochil (Labour). Business: Cartmore Building Supply (director). Description: A builders' merchants company in Lochgelly, Fife, that specialises in building, plumbing and heating supplies.

- INDEPENDENT