Questions Time
Survey time, immigration woes, and misunderstanding AI
First the good news. Right now, you can materially contribute to making the UK a better place to start and grow a business. The bad news is that it involves filling out this survey.
We get it. Nobody likes filling out surveys – least of all me. But this one really matters.
We want the insights of actual entrepreneurs – not simply sole traders or senior decision-makers in large firms, who already have their own ways of getting their views across. We pride ourselves on being the voice of entrepreneurs, so we’ve created a real opportunity for your voice to be heard by those in Westminster.
This isn’t something we wanted to do by halves – that’s why we’ve crafted it in partnership with the experts at Public First. We’ve tested it with real entrepreneurs and I promise it will only take you between six and ten minutes.
If enough of you respond, we’ll run it on a regular basis. Some of the questions in it will remain the same each time, allowing us to track trends on various issues, while others will focus on topical issues that might be dominating the conversation. Everyone on this newsletter will be able to feed into what we should ask.
As a bit of an inducement – not that you need it, of course – we’ll be inviting those who respond to a launch party for the results in the City of London next month at Wedlake Bell. Places for that will be on a first-come basis, so don’t delay – fill out the survey here.
Island of Stragglers
As you’ll know, one of the survey questions concerns visas and immigration. This was a last-minute decision in response to the Government’s Immigration White Paper, which was released on Monday.
It’s bad news for British businesses. Under the plans set out in the White Paper, fewer jobs will qualify for sponsorship as the skill threshold for Skilled Worker visas rises to degree level, with only some mid-level roles temporarily allowed under a new Shortage Occupation List.
At the same time, minimum salary requirements will increase, Graduate visas will be shortened to 18 months, and the Immigration Skills Charge will rise by 32% to £1,320 per year. English language requirements will be tougher, including for dependants. The path to Indefinite Leave to Remain will be extended to ten years for Skilled Worker visa holders, with some accelerated routes, and reportedly these changes could apply to current visa holders, subject to consultation.
As Nick Rollason, Head of Immigration at the law firm Kingsley Napley, explained in the Financial Times, the combination of higher fees, higher salary thresholds and a potential ten-year wait for settlement could push the total cost of sponsoring a skilled worker with a partner and two children as high as £67,000, if the employer bore the full cost.
If the ten-year wait is imposed widely, it would be disastrous for attracting and retaining talent here. If it applies to those who are already here, it would be immoral – and likely illegal, as was the case in 2009 when the government tried to do something like this with the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) visa.
A nod was given to the needs of entrepreneurs, with things like the Government looking into potentially doubling of the High Potential Individual (HPI) visa, which is exactly what we called for in Job Creators 2024. But as Bella Rhodes argues in City A.M., exceptional and entrepreneurial talent is just the tip of the iceberg. The risk isn’t so much becoming a nation of strangers, but becoming a nation of stragglers.
As you might expect, there are a lot of conversations happening about how to have an impact before some of this becomes law. If you’re keen to have your say – besides filling in the survey, which, of course, you’ve already done or shared – drop me a message so I can know to keep you updated.
Peer Review
As you may have spotted, on Monday we released a letter on the Data (Use and Access) Bill. Our request was a rather modest one. As I wrote for Forbes:
“The proposed amendments reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of AI development. They would impose crushing transparency obligations – like monthly reporting of comprehensive training data – that bear no relation to how modern AI systems are actually built.”
It was signed by the great and the good: Professor Lord Tarassenko (Oxehealth), Professor Alison Noble CBE (Intelligent Ultrasound), Sir John Michael Brady (Perspectum, Optellum, Naitive Technologies, ScreenPoint Medical, and Oxford Community Diagnostics Centre), Professor Niki Trigoni (Navenio), Professor Paul Newman (Oxa Autonomy), and many more besides. Lord Tarassenko went on to mention the letter in the House of Lords.
Drop me a message if you have views on this thorny but critical policy issue.
Lilacs Are New
This week also saw the release of the final report from The Lilac Review. I’ve been on its Steering Committee, so it’s wonderful to see this come to fruition. The Review sees the launch of the LILAC Centre for Disabled Entrepreneurship, the UK’s first flagship business incubator and research centre dedicated to advancing the success of disabled entrepreneurs.
Here to Help
What is holding back your business from growing? If it’s a policy issue, we will let policymakers know. If it’s not, we may be able to put you in touch with someone from our network who can help.
Our Next Events
Quarterly Adviser Roundtable
🗓 Thursday, 22 May 2025
🕐 10am to 11:30am
📍 LANDBAY
ℹ️ Our quarterly roundtable for Advisers and Patrons of The Entrepreneurs Network
⏩ Request a place
Dinner with Daisy Cooper MP: Making the UK the Best Place for Entrepreneurs to Thrive
🗓 Tuesday, 3 June 2025
🕐 7pm to 9.30pm
📍 S&W, London
ℹ️ A private dinner to explore policy ideas for boosting entrepreneurship and growth more broadly
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Parenting and Entrepreneurship: Financial Planning for Children
🗓 Wednesday, 4 June 2025
🕐 12pm to 1pm
📍 Online
ℹ️ Our Parenting and Entrepreneurship series aims to support founders to stay in business while navigating parenthood
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News and Views
Latest data show the economy grew, slightly, at the start of the year
We published our thirty-third instalment of Three Big Ideas
Eamonn wrote about how we can make the immigration system fit for startups
Anastasia attended ARIA’s Summit, and threaded what was discussed about entrepreneurial scientists
Increases to employer National Insurance contributions and the National Living Wage were blamed for a weakening labour market
A government-developed AI tool has been used for the first time to review public responses to a consultation
A “new growth-focused Strategic Steer” was given to Britain’s competition regulator
Senior diplomats will be dispatched to drum up trade interest in British businesses
Officials are reportedly designing a visa to tempt foreign investors into Britain
17 pension providers signed the Mansion House Accord – which pledges to invest up to £50 billion into British businesses and infrastructure
Mooted reforms to ISAs were given short shrift by Claer Barrett (Paywall – Financial Times)
How closer alignment with the EU could put innovative technology at risk (Paywall – The Times)
How can we influence governments to do more to foster entrepreneurship?
A review that we’ve been part of has found that bold action is needed to unlock the growth of disabled-led businesses
UK startups are straining under an R&D tax credit crackdown
Friends of the Network
Future of Work Summit 2025
🗓 Friday, 6 June 2025
🕐 8am to 2.45pm
📍 Kingston University Business School
ℹ️ A day of roundtable discussions, practical business seminars, workshops, and networking opportunities
⏩ Find out more
Eye Global Expansion? Key Ingredients for Successful Partnerships
🗓 Thursday, 12 June 2025
🕐 8.30am to 10.30am
📍 The City, London
ℹ️ A networking breakfast for businesses looking to expand globally, hosted by Findr and CMS
⏩ Find out more
Accessible by design: building inclusive workplaces that work for everyone
🗓 Tuesday, 1 July 2025
🕐 12am to 1pm
📍 Online
ℹ️ A collaborative session to see how you can put accessibility at the front and centre of your business
⏩ Find out more
Best wishes,
Philip
Philip Salter
Founder
The Entrepreneurs Network