Andy Burnham: “But I think it’s only fair from my own experience fighting for my club that I take that position at this stage.”

If the UK wants to build global companies, we need to be globally competitive. To do that, we cannot have Britain's start-ups simply sell up.

We will do what we can to request that the right steps are being taken, and that’s the approach we’ll take.

I believe some businesses have gone too far in their use of restrictive practices such as non-compete clauses, a view I know shared by many in this room and across the sector.

Obviously, we take the greatest of care in relation to any issue that relates to our biosecurity, and at this point in time, while we would monitor the situation closely, I wouldn’t want to say anything further.