If Burnham wants growth, he must start by backing AI and Tech founders and risk-takers, says Liam Houghton

Mace | 23rd July 2026 | Comment, Politics

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has an opportunity to make Britain the best place to start and scale a business, argues CEO Liam Houghton.

Ten years. Seven Prime Ministers. Multiple agendas. That’s too many, if you ask me. Running a business is already hard in itself, but having to navigate continuous policy change on top of it isn’t helping. Successive governments have made it difficult for founders to take risks, scale companies and even stay in the country. A 2025 survey showed that nearly half of fintech founders have considered relocating their business outside of the UK. If Britain wants to retain its position as a competitive tech ecosystem, that needs to change. 

"Ten years, seven Prime Ministers, multiple agendas"

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham has an opportunity to fix this by making Britain the best place to start and scale a business. Here are the areas he should focus on.  Rewarding job creation  Every politician talks about growth. Far fewer make it cheaper to create it. For Andy Burnham to deliver on the Government’s mission of bringing “good growth in every postcode,” he needs to make it ...

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