40 % of Britain’s small businesses do not have a proper website, online booking system, or even a functioning e-commerce page. That is not a guess – it is the official finding of the Department for Business and Trade’s 2025 Digital Adoption Survey. A butcher in Devon still takes orders by phone. A hairdresser in Hull writes appointments in a paper diary. A joiner in Swansea quotes jobs by text message. In 2025.
The result? Lost sales, wasted time, and no chance of competing with the big chains that invested years ago. The same survey shows digitally mature SMEs are 3.5 times more likely to grow turnover and twice as likely to export.
The government’s Help to Grow: Digital scheme closed in 2023 after reaching only 8,000 firms. The replacement – a watered-down advice portal – has helped almost no one. Meanwhile, Australia gives every small business a A$30,000 digital voucher. Ireland offers €10,000 grants. Britain offers a leaflet.
We need £5,000 Digital Adoption Vouchers for every business with turnover under £10 million – no means testing, no red tape.
- Spend it on a website, booking software, e-commerce platform, cloud accounting, or cybersecurity.
- Claim it instantly online, money in the bank within 14 days.
- Total cost to the Treasury: £2.4 billion over three years – less than the £3 billion already spent on Made Smarter for large manufacturers alone.
This is not about turning every corner shop into Amazon. It is about basic hygiene in 2025: a website that works on a phone, a booking system that stops double-bookings, an online store that lets customers buy when the shop is shut.
Give every small business a £5,000 voucher and watch productivity, sales, and survival rates soar.
The 1832 Club is fighting for these changes. The more members we have, the louder our voice in Westminster.
Join today from just £5/month or £40/year and help to support pro-SME candidates.
Together we can make a difference.