Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, launched the 'Be Fair, Pay on Time' campaign in 2011, which led to a cross-party inquiry in April last year into the impact of late payments on the UK’s SMEs.
Continued lobbying from Abrahams and campaign partners the Forum of Private Business (FPB) and the Federation of Small Business (FSB) led the government to set up a consultation on the issue, launched in October last year.
Marking the end of the consultation at the beginning of this month, the campaign was covered on ITV breakfast show Daybreak, which featured Abrahams and SME owner Steve Paul, who highlighted the devastating effect late payments had had on his business and subsequently his health.
During the programme Abrahams said: “Ultimately this is an issue for the leaders of larger companies to address because a late payment culture is set at board level and won't change until we establish that late payment, finding excuses to pay late, or arbitrarily extending pre-agreed payment terms, is as unacceptable as tax evasion."
Abrahams said it was encouraging that the government had held a consultation, but that it had taken a long time for it to “wake up to the fact that this issue is destroying many smaller suppliers across the UK and stifling growth”.
Now Abrahams is now calling for more business owners to speak up and is urging anyone from the print industry who is willing to speak publicly to contact her with a view to approaching broadcasters to help bring the issue of late payment into the national spotlight before the government delivers a verdict on its consultation in the spring.
She said: "The majority of people in employment in the UK work for a small business and so, bearing in mind this is a £30bn national scandal, it's incredible that it's so difficult to get the mainstream media to take notice.
"One of the main problems is that no small business owners are prepared to talk publicly about how late payments are affecting them and their business. Obviously this is due to the fear of losing business if the bigger companies that owe you money see or hear a report about you and your company and decide to take punitive action.
“But if there are any small business owners out there who would be prepared to talk publicly about the effect late payment has had, or is having, on them I'd be very grateful if they'd get in touch," added Abrahams.
Debbie Abrahams can be contacted on abrahamsd@parliament.uk.
