When talking economic growth, it’s all too easy to focus on shiny start-ups and massive employers – but it’s Britain’s mid-sized companies that could really drive growth, NatWest’s CEO has told the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

One of the key themes of this year’s conference has been the need to drive growth, with Steve Reed’s "Build Baby Build” hats being among the event’s most sought-after souvenirs.

As Sir Keir Starmer said on Tuesday in his keynote speech: “The defining mission of this Government is to grow the economy, improve living standards and change the way we create wealth.”

Also at conference, NatWest teamed up with think tank Labour Together for a debate called “Unlocking the Mid-Market Economy as the Growth Engine for the UK”.

The term “mid- market” might sound a little dry. But according to NatWest CEO Paul Thwaite – returning to his home city of Liverpool – that market has a key role to play in driving the UK economy forward.

He told the meeting: “It’s crucial we care about it. We have to think of the critical middle as the crown jewel of the UK economy. It’s less than 0.5 per cent of businesses but employs more than seven million people. It drives about £1.3 trillion in turnover. It provides the potential to unlock a lot of growth.”

Last year, NatWest published a report, called The Critical Middle, on those vital mid-market companies (MMCs) - which it defined as firms with an annual turnover of between £25 million and £500 million. It said there were more than 13,000 such firms across the UK, contributing some £420 billion in gross value added (GVA) to........

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