Donald Trump Jnr's gunmaker accuses Labour of punishing entrepreneurs
Marc Newton, the managing director of 250-year-old London gunmaker John Rigby & Co, whose clientele includes Donald Trump Jnr, said Rachel Reeves's 'punitive' tax rises are hurting aspiration.
He said: 'I should really be a Labour poster boy. I grew up in a council house, from a broken family. I went to state school. I didn't go to university, I got an apprenticeship. I started a company 12 years ago that now employs 35 people, and we export all around the world.
'So why is it now that we're being punished so much? My children do go to a private school locally. VAT on those school fees, the NI [National Insurance] charges … There doesn't appear to be much gratitude. It feels very much punitive.'
Mr Newton became the boss of Rigby after the company's German buyer, L&O Holding, returned its headquarters to London in 2013 after decades under American ownership.
Mr Newton has been credited with its turnaround. However, he warned that Donald Trump's tariffs posed a risk to the business.
Mr Trump's eldest son was among the attendees at Rigby's 250th anniversary in Portsmouth in May, alongside Nigel Farage and Middle Eastern sheikhs.
However, pleas to exempt Britain's gun trade from US tariffs of 10pc have proved fruitless.
Mr Newton said: 'I made sure I took a few moments to speak to [Trump Jnr] about it and say 'does British gunmaking really represent a trade threat to the US?' Probably not.
'The thing I say to Americans is 'this is coming out of your pocket. I'm not paying it'. He's aware of that. He's been a fantastic supporter. Hopefully, reason will prevail.'
Rigby relies almost exclusively on exporting its high-end hunting rifles and guns, with the US and the Middle East the largest markets.
The gunmaker also warned that the Chancellor's £25bn National Insurance tax raid undermines its ability to train young people and risks hurting the industry for years to come.
Steven Monteith, Rigby's director of operations, said: 'Where it's going to impact us or other gunmakers is the junior people coming in, the apprentices starting with us. When you're bringing somebody in directly from school, they've got no training at all.
'It takes two to three years to train them up to start making money for the company. You're investing a lot of time, effort, and money in them.
'The time to train is quite exceptional in gunmaking. If that [prevents] even half a dozen people from starting in the trade, then that impact will be felt for years to come.'
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