In recent times, the SBS, which aims to improve enterprise culture in the UK, has come under fire from the British Chambers of Commerce, the National Audit Office and the Confederation of British Industry (Government failing small businesses).

This has resulted in Darling’s announcement in the FT that the service would be restructured to make it ‘smaller and more focused on what it can do. It will have a much smaller policy focus and a much closer tie-up with the Treasury, so the Treasury is more tied into business concerns.’ He added that ‘a lot’ of the £150 million of business support currently administered by the SBS would in future be the responsibility of the regional development agencies.

‘The totality of support needs to remain but a lot of it is needlessly complex,’ Darling said. ‘You’ve got to ask what do [the schemes] add to the greater good and the answer is often “not a lot”.’