The Labour Party Annual Conference 2025

SME4Labour and Barclays Bank breakfast session: BUILDING SME CONFIDENCE TO INVEST FOR GROWTH

Join us as we look at what’s holding back SME investment and what public policy, in partnership with finance, can do to turn the tide. From confidence gaps to resilience-building, we’ll explore the real-world barriers, and the bold solutions needed to overcome them. Backed by fresh insights from Barclays research, the conversation will focus on business sentiment, untapped opportunities, and collaborative strategies to reignite growth.

Speakers:

• Dan Tomlinson MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
• Matt Hammerstein, CEO, UK Corporate Bank and Head of Public Policy & Corporate Responsibility
• Sonia Kumar MP, MP for Dudley
• Luke Charters MP, PPS for Department of Business and Trade and Chair of APPG FinTech
• Beena Sharma, CEO and Co-Founder of CCU International

Chair:  Ibrahim Dogus, Chair, SME4labour

Tickets are free, but booking is required via https://www.sme4labour.org/building_sme_confidence

This event is in the secure zone, so you will need a conference pass to access it.

Date: Monday, 29 September 2025

Time: 8:30 AM

Location: Arena Room - Wye, ACC Liverpool, Kings Dock Street, Liverpool, England, L3 4FP

Please note: This event will be recorded for distribution through SME4Labour and its partners’ social media channels. All audience members agree to the possibility of appearing on these recordings by virtue of attending the event or participating in the event.

Bios:

Ibrahim Dogus

Founder of SME4Labour, a successful entrepreneur who built a family of restaurant businesses in London. Dogus is a dedicated Labour Party activist and a councillor in the London Borough of Lambeth, bringing a unique blend of frontline business experience and political engagement. He also founded the British Kebab Awards and the Centre for Turkey Studies.

Matt Hammerstein

CEO of UK Corporate Bank and Head of Public Policy & Corporate Responsibility at Barclays. A veteran executive with the bank since 2004, his dual role places him at the intersection of commercial lending and strategic policy engagement with government and regulators. He previously served as CEO for Barclays Bank UK.

Luke Charters MP

Luke Charters is the Labour Member of Parliament for York Outer. 

Before his election to Parliament, Luke had a distinguished career in financial services. He began at the Bank of England, contributing to payments infrastructure projects and the polymer banknotes programme, before moving to the Financial Conduct Authority, focusing on fraud prevention. Subsequently, he led the Fraud and Compliance department at the global fintech company Remote. 

Since entering Parliament, Luke has concentrated on financial services, convening debates on fraud and economic crime. He serves as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Financial Technology (FinTech) and on the Public Accounts Committee. 

Sonia Kumar MP

Elected as the Labour MP for Dudley in 2024. Before entering Parliament, she was an NHS physiotherapist. Born into a family that owned a small shop, she brings a direct, real-world perspective on the challenges and realities facing small family businesses.

Beena Sherma

Beena is the CEO and Co-Founder of CCU International. CCU International provide next generation carbon capture technology for industry emitters. Beena is recognised as a global expert on the topic of carbon capture and utilisation and speaks at conferences and events globally on CCUS, net zero, and clean/climate technology.