Better Business Day 2022
It felt a bit surreal travelling to London to join over 300 coalition members and supporters for Better Business Day at Westminster last month. The Better Business Act (BBA) coalition is campaigning for a change in UK law which would make businesses prioritise people and the planet alongside profit – creating a triple bottom line. This alignment matters to me not just as a business leader, but as a mother and a woman who understands the need to act now if we want to create a better world for future generations.
I didn’t really know what to expect on Better Business Day. I had been to the Houses of Parliament several years ago when AG delivered a client event there, but to visit with the intention of lobbying MPs was a first for me and a little out of my comfort zone!
The BBA team had prepped us well in the morning. We heard a brilliant and insightful panel talk by leaders from Pukka Herbs, Ella’s Kitchen, Graze and Chris Tucker from the BBA. We also heard from BBA Co-Chairs, Douglas Lamont and Mary Portas, who both gave rallying speeches on why the BBA mattered to them, the urgency needed on climate action and the opportunity we have now to take action.
Walking into the Houses of Parliament, I felt like I was entering Hogwarts. After security, we made our way to the main hall where I filled out a green card to let my MP know I was there and why. We waited patiently for nearly two hours with a hundred or so supporters. This manual process and the wait for my MP’s arrival to be announced surprised me. So far removed from the way I usually do business, and a stark reminder that Parliament really is a business like no other.
After a long wait, we finally got the call that Esther McVey (MP for Tatton) was ready to meet us. Esther listened to our case for the BBA and gave her views on how the act might impact her constituents. She also highlighted the challenges North West businesses are facing with increasing costs in the current economic climate. There is definitely more work needed to help small businesses understand their role in tackling our climate emergency. We need to share the small steps they can take to make a difference, and it’s something I’m keen to explore further in the coming months.
Unfortunately, the BBA didn’t feature in this years’ Queens Speech read by Prince Charles, and this was disappointing for the 1000+ BBA coalition members. This is what the BBA said in the following days; “The Queen’s Speech leaves us none the wiser as to what role the Prime Minister wants business to play in helping Britain recover from the pandemic. We needed a feast of ideas; instead, we got a thin gruel.”
This change in law we are campaigning for would help every UK business leader take accountability of their role in the climate emergency we are now living in. At the Better Business Day, Mark Cuddigan said when he is asked why Ella’s Kitchen supports the Better Business Act, his response is simply “Well, why wouldn’t we?”. That’s exactly how I feel. We don’t have time to wait for a change in law, because we’re living in a climate emergency. Let’s come together now and start helping every SME business understand how to use their business as a ‘force for good’, because it’s the right thing to do.