Ex-MP Paul Uppal steps down as commissioner after 'conflict of interest' claim
A former Tory MP has left his role as the UK's Small Business Commissioner after two years following a "procedural issue".
Paul Uppal, who was the MP for Wolverhampton South West from 2010-15, took on the role with the government body with a mission to help smaller businesses with issues such as late payments.
His departure is believed to relate to concerns over his involvement in the Business Banking Resolution Service (BBRS), a new body set up to help SMEs which have unresolved complaints against banks.
Mr Uppal was invited to join the group by business stakeholders.
He was due to serve it on a voluntary basis and had not attended any meetings by the time of his departure as commissioner.
However, it is understood that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy felt his involvement in the BBRS represented a conflict of interest.
The Office of the Small Business Commissioner said in a statement: “Paul Uppal has stepped down from his role as Small Business Commissioner following a procedural issue with immediate effect.
“BEIS is committed to treating all its people, both current and former, fairly and with consideration at all times.
"Personal information relating to former appointees of its partner organisations is not therefore disclosed and won’t be in this case.
“The important work of the Small Business Commissioner’s Office continues while the process to recruit his replacement gets underway.”
Mr Uppal started in the role when it was launched in 2017 and was based in Birmingham.
He is credited with making giant strides towards ensuring fair payment practices for small businesses, and supporting them in resolving payment disputes with larger firms.
The announcement of his departure has prompted concern among industry experts.
Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “We’ve made some genuine progress on the late payments front since the Small Business Commissioner first took office back in 2017.
"We’ve welcomed his efforts to name and shame larger companies, including Holland and Barrett, Bupa and Zurich, for poor payment practices. He also led efforts to reform the toothless Prompt Payment Code.
“This is a disappointing development, one that will put the brakes on our efforts to date.
“The appointment process needs to be efficient and thorough. We lose 50,000 business a year to late payment at a cost of at least £2.5 billion to the economy.
"We can’t delay further action to tackle this crisis, especially in such an uncertain climate.”
