Call for better business practices welcomed by Keynsham's MP

Coming soon after the sale of Cadbury’s, Keynsham’s MP Dan Norris has welcomed the latest comments by Peter Mandelson in his Mansion House speech. 

Mr Norris said: “I think most Keynsham residents and many across the West Country will welcome the Secretary of State’s emphasis on the values that should drive business practices, in particular takeovers, the type of which we saw when Kraft acquired Cadbury’s.

 “It is right for the Government to focus on responsible and ethical business ownership: not just the making of a quick buck without regard to the human cost that will almost always be borne first, and heaviest, by a firm’s employees and their families.

 “A ‘public interest’ test for takeovers may well be the right way to go, but most important is the prominence of ensuring business operates within a principled framework.

 “We must not forget that Somerdale, Keynsham was sold down the river by Cadbury’s, when it announced closure back in autumn 2007. Kraft raised false hopes in the Keynsham community and was felt by a great many people to have manipulated opinion with its warm messages of hope for Somerdale. But the factory’s fate was effectively sealed by Cadbury’s management decisions, not Kraft’s takeover.”