February saw the IPT Fellowship Programme continue at pace despite the brief recess, with several individual visits and briefings taking place. Here, we look back at the engagements and hear about what went on.
We began with a busy day on 3 February, in which Lord Young of Old Windsor completed two visits. He started by meeting with Family Business UK at their London offices where they hosted a roundtable discussion. They discussed multiple topics ranging from the importance of family businesses to the UK economy, the challenges they are facing, and what the opportunities and prospects there are for the future. Later that day, Lord Young then visited Floris at their historic shop in St James’. Floris are a family run perfumers, established in 1730 in London, they received a Royal Warrant in 1820, and are now on to their 9th generation running the business. Lord Young received a tour of the shop and perfumery, trialling and testing their products. He also got to hear their story and why it has been so important to keep the business within the family.
Meanwhile on the same day, Richard Holden MP completed his penultimate IPT Fellowship visit by going off to Capital One at their London HQ. Through a tour of the site, he got to see their operations there, they then went on to discuss the history and work of the business. Following this, they focussed in on the regulatory environment discussing the challenges and opportunities. Then, Lord Gascoigne visited MakeUK at their Westminster offices to discuss manufacturers heavily involved in international trade and exports. Through this visit, he got to better understand the key role that UK manufacturers play within the export market and the challenges they are facing in response to international pressures. They also discussed the recent trade deals and what impact they have had on manufacturing.
Then, on 6 February, Peter Fortune MP continued his Fellowship in AI with a visit to Amazon’s UK headquarters in London. The discussion revolved around Amazon’s UK investment plans, including £75 billion invested over the past decade and a further £40 billion planned, before a deep dive on its Leo satellite programme and a tour of the London HQ. The same day, Chris Webb MP had a visit with the Halfway House pub in his constituency, organised in collaboration with the British Beer and Pub Association. The conversation, held with the Joseph Holt group – a family-owned business which operates 127 pubs across the north of England – centred on how to keep pubs viable and safeguard hospitality jobs in Blackpool.
On the 26 February, Baroness Blower continued her Fellowship with a briefing from the Music Venues Trust. The CEO of the Music Venues Trust (MVT), Mark Davyd, talked Baroness Blower through Music Venue Trust’s 2025 report. The report shows a sector on the brink, with venue closures, major job losses and a shrinking touring circuit. Despite contributing over £500 million to the economy, most venues operate on razor‑thin margins, and the MVT is advocating for reforms to secure the future of grassroots live music.
The month concluded with Darren Paffey MP visiting the Port of Southampton with ABP on 27 February. Having visit port in the past, this visit covered the aspects of the port he hadn’t previously visited, this included the Solent Gateway and the Eastern and Western docks. The visit focussed in on logistics and the supply chains which run through the port.
We would like to thank all the businesses and parliamentarians involved in February’s IPT Fellowship Programme for their support and hard work on these engagements. We look forward to continuing our engagement with parliamentarians on Fellowship programmes throughout 2026, furthering their understanding of business.