CMT Engineering’s CEO Anjali Agrawal went to the Palace of Westminster in her capacity as a Sandwell Business Ambassador.

Anjali and the other Ambassadors were there in February 2025 as guests of Sandwell Council, to meet Sandwell Members of Parliament and convey the barriers to growth faced by businesses in our Black Country region.  

The full day began with assembly at Portcullis House and a tour of Westminster: the historical meeting place of the UK Parliament.

Sandwell MPs

Anjali, the other Ambassadors and representatives from Sandwell Council met with the Rt. Hon. the Lord Spellar, who for many years was an MP in Warley and Warley West.

They also met Sandwell Labour MPs Antonia Bance (Tipton and Wednesbury), Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich), Gurinder Singh Josan (Smethwick) and Alex Ballinger, whose Halesowen constituency incorporates Cradley Heath, where CMT Engineering is based. 

After everyone had an informal lunch in Parliament, Anjali and Tansun director Rita Rana (also an Ambassador in the manufacturing industry) met with David Williams, Labour MP for Stoke on Trent North.

Community wealth

Anjali said: ‘It was good to have the chance to tell our local MPs how difficult the economic climate is for businesses in our region.

‘Current and imminent challenges include higher taxes, National Insurance contributions and business rates. I personally wanted to ask about the costs of hiring apprentices. I was especially keen to talk about the cost of hiring apprentices which, despite government funding, can still feel prohibitive to smaller employers who have a lack of guidance about the support available to us.

‘As Sandwell Business Ambassadors we are able to speak for more businesses in the Sandwell borough – not just our own. I want to promote growth for all businesses here, which in turn should lead to jobs and community wealth.’

Anjali’s fellow Ambassador Paul Hull, co-owner of KMB Shipping Group in Tipton said in a LinkedIn post: ‘We have to be the voice for business, to tell the MPs just how hard it currently is, and April it gets tougher! We are the wealth creators and leaders that need help and support’.

About the Sandwell Business Ambassadors

Anjali joined the Sandwell Business Ambassadors in 2020. They are a collective of business leaders in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, who voluntarily support – and speak out for – Sandwell businesses, on issues that matter to the local business community. Their overall aim is to build inclusive economic growth that benefits every resident and business in Sandwell.