Hair salon proprietor blasts Rishi Sunak over promise on go to – ‘he is received no clue’

A salon owner visited by Rishi Sunak is voting Labour for the first time as she believes he doesn’t understand small businesses.

Collette Osborne accused the Prime Minister of failing to help struggling firms as she warned: “We cannot continue in this way.”

Labour on Tuesday will confirm plans to revive Britain’s high streets including opening 350 banking hubs. The party wants to bring new life to town centres blighted with boarded up shops by giving communities the chance to take over empty premises, such as pubs.

Ms Osborne, 53, owns two salons in Gedling and Beeston in Nottinghamshire where she employs 42 people and seven apprentices. Mr Sunak visited her premises in June 2022 when he was Chancellor. She urged him to help small firms with emergency help, such as a VAT cut for the beauty industry.

But she told the Mirror: “He’s done absolutely nothing, if anything he’s made the situation worse. I was delighted when he went for PM because I thought he’d have the power to do something, but it’s like he’s got no clue about how small businesses operate.”

After meeting Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves before the election campaign she now plans to vote Labour for the first time ever as she believes the party’s New Deal For Working People will level the playing field for good employers. She said: “As soon as I read that I knew that whilst I’ve been a lifelong Conservative voter, I was no longer going to be a lifelong Conservative voter. Because these are the only people I could see are taking it seriously and listening to what businesses need.

“Not only did Rachel Reeves get it, but she acted. I saw somebody who was actually willing to take the problem onboard, somebody who was willing to listen and willing to act. Not somebody just wanting to pay lip service for a photo op.”

Ms Osborne said the aftermath of Liz Truss’s mini-Budget had “absolutely killed our industry”. She added: “I couldn’t wait for the election to be called because employers are running out of time, the whole industry is in a race to the bottom. I’ll be honest when I heard the election had been called, I felt like doing cartwheels because I thought there has to be change now. We cannot continue in this way.”

Labour has said it will open 350 banking hubs in towns and villages where bank branches have disappeared. The facilities, which are run by the Post Office, have a counter service where customers of all main banks can withdraw and deposit cash, make bill payments, and carry out regular banking transactions. They also have areas where staff from different banks are available on different days.

The Tories have promised to introduce banking hubs, but so far only 50 have been opened.

Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said: “The Tories have turned their backs on the small business owners working to keep our country’s high streets alive. 6,000 bank branches have closed – a symbol of Tory decline. Labour is the party on the side of small businesses. With our plan to bring banking back to the high street, replace business rates and cut energy bills for good, we will breathe new life back into Britain’s high streets.”