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Walk down almost any high street in Britain and you'll see what's at stake. A local high street is greater than the sum of its parts, they bring people together, create communities and provide essential jobs. Too many towns have watched shops close, units sitting empty and footfall falling. Every shuttered front makes the next one more likely, because when people stop coming into town, the café, the pharmacy and the independent shop next door feel it too.

As the Liberal Democrat Business Spokesperson, and MP for Richmond Park, I hear all too often the challenges retailers face - rising business rates, employer costs and energy bills. Every new business brings jobs, training and shoppers to the high street. We want retailers to thrive. Whether they can, depends on what the Chancellor decides in this Budget.

The Prime Minister has said he wants to deliver growth in every postcode. The high street is where people will judge whether that promise is real and whether that plan is........

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