“Get a real job”: MP challenges ministers’ ignorance of 24/7 self-employment grind
Tired of feeling like politicians don’t get the 24/7 grind of self-employment? An MP has just unleashed a blistering attack on Westminster’s “clueless” ministers, echoing your frustrations about endless admin, punishing taxes, and the sheer lack of a safety net. Read the full story and see why he says the state should just ‘do less.’
Westminster’s approach to small business is “depressing”
A heated critique of the government’s understanding of small business life has been launched by Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe, who claims that a lack of real-world business experience among ministers is leading to damaging policies.
The post, which has generated significant debate, accuses the political class of being “utterly detached from the reality” of running a firm.
Mr. Lowe’s scathing assessment in a LinkedIn post states that most ministers “have never run a business, and it SHOWS,” operating under a false premise of what “work” entails.
We have a political class that talks endlessly about ‘growth’ while brutally punishing the only people capable of delivering it – especially going after the family businesses/farms, which is a particularly spiteful policy decision.
-Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe
The 24/7 reality of freelance and self-employed life
“Running a small business isn’t a job. It’s a way of life. It is life. It’s 24/7/365. It’s relentless,” Lowe wrote, detailing the multi-faceted role of an owner who acts as “the accountant, HR department, compliance officer, cleaner, marketer, and customer service team – all in one.”
Why ministers “don’t get” business taxes and risk
He argued that politicians fail to grasp that new taxes are not “absorbed by a ‘budget’” but “taken straight out of their family’s pocket.” He challenged MPs to “GET A REAL JOB” and spend a week running a small firm, asserting they would then “legislate very differently” by “Cutting tax. Simplifying regulation. Slashing back the HRification of the country.”
The self-employed responds to MP Lowe’s post
The post struck a chord with many solo self-employed people and the larger business community, drawing a stream of supportive comments.
John Read, Founder-MD of Clean Up Britain, agreed that “Most MPs are clueless about how incredibly difficult and remorseless it is building a business.”
Sean Brian, Managing Director at Amusement Technical, echoed the sentiment, stating,
My god, how correct is this? This has been my exact life story for the past 35 years. The vast majority of mainstream politicians are utterly detached from the reality of it, and yet this is the very backbone of our economy…”
He highlighted the extreme pressure faced by owners: “Or waking up on a Friday morning and knowing you’ve got 8 hours to find the money to cover the wages, that’s stress in the workplace…Absolutely, this is the sector that needs and deserves the support.
Dave Chaplin, CEO of IR35shield.co.uk, offered a concise agreement, saying, “Spot on. Now we just need the other 600+ MPs to understand this.” Similarly, Drew Smith commented that “Individuals should not be allowed to govern without self-employed experience. This should be mandatory for all individuals entering government service.”
When policies and politics burden instead of boost growth
James Brown, an HSE Consultant in the energy sector, said, “Many successful businesses started off as one or two-person Ltd Companies and grew; nowadays, the IR35 ‘Off Payroll’ regulations make that far more difficult.”
Quentin Thatcher, Head of Sales & Lettings at Fells New Fores Property, joined the conversation with a more balanced view. “I think it’s an interesting accusation and maybe true for many, but I think the issues are far more deeply rooted at the senior level and the issue of lobbying and conflicts of interest. I’m afraid that cutting back HR and regulation means the potential for firms to exploit their workers. This has been the case through history, and we must always strike a balance.”
Not everyone agrees with Lowe
However, the post also drew immediate pushback from those outside the private sector. Heléna Holt, an experienced Chief Executive in the charity sector, defended the hard work in public and community services.
“I’m sick to my back teeth of ‘businesspeople’ belittling the hard reality of trying to maintain vital public and community services funded entirely by charitable donations as well as running it like a business – because that is what it is,” she stated. Holt pointed out that charity leaders also work “ridiculous hours, many unpaid,” comply with numerous regulations, and have “no cycling of bankruptcy and reincarnation as reputation is all.”
Furthermore, Martin Kelly, a Governance Officer at Glasgow City Council, questioned the MP’s own party’s ability to govern effectively, noting, “That’s quite a reach as well as quite rich because the last time I looked, Reform Councillors in some of England’s Councils don’t appear to know how to ‘run’ a council.”
Despite the opposing views, the central theme of the original post – that politicians lack an understanding of real-world self-employment financial and administrative pressures – resonated strongly with many business owners, with Rupert Lowe concluding that Britain’s small businesses “don’t succeed because of politicians, they survive in spite of them.”
Who is Rupert Lowe, MP?
Rupert Lowe (born October 31, 1957, in Oxford) is a British politician, businessman, and leader of the political organisation Restore Britain, which he founded in June 2025. With an estimated net worth of £30 million, Lowe’s career spans finance, football, and politics.
He is widely known for his time as the Chairman of Southampton Football Club (1996-2006 and 2008-2009).
Currently, he serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Great Yarmouth (since 2024), initially elected as a Reform UK candidate before his suspension due to alleged bullying in March 2025 led him to sit as an Independent MP. Lowe also previously served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands from 2019 to 2020.
While many of the UK’s self-employed may agree with his pro-small business policies, they may not be on board with his pro-Brexit past. His decision to donate his £5,000 monthly MP salary to local causes, such as Great Yarmouth Football Club and the Pathway Café, has been both praised as philanthropy and criticised as a publicity stunt.