Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock will be taking part in a live Tweet Chat on Twitter next week in support of the Small Business Saturday initiative on December 7.

Mr Hancock, MP for West Suffolk, will join the Tweet Chat on Thursday, October 31, to discuss how business owners can get involved in the initiative, which aims to highlight small business success and encourage consumers to “shop local”.

To tweet a question, log on to Twitter at 11am on October 31 and follow @SmallBizSatUK and @matthancockmp. Search for hashtag #SmallBizSatUK to follow and contribute to the conversation live.

Small Business Saturday, which is a completely apolitical campaign, has already attracted the support of the Prime Minister, as well as leading business organisations including the Association of City and Town Management, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Association of Convenience Stores and Ingenious Britain.

Companies including American Express, O2 and Aldermore Bank have also indicated their support, along with prominent entrepreneurs such as James Caan, Martha Lane Fox and Piers Linney.

More information on Small Business Saturday, participating retailers and details on promotions and other incentives to “shop locally” can be found on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page at www.facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturdayuk .