Ahead of the backbench business debate this evening on corporate tax avoidance the Liberal Democrat MP who secured the debate, Ian Swales, has called for the Government to take a lead internationally and police its financial borders with the same rigour as its physical boundaries.

He said: “There are millions of people and businesses who pay their taxes, work hard, aspire to do the right things for themselves and their families and are quite rightly angered that; there are international corporations who get out of paying their fair share of tax.

“The billions lost in government revenue because of corporate tax avoidance inevitably forces higher taxes for everyone else and cuts in services, the very services on which the tax-avoiding businesses and their employees rely.

“The Liberal Democrats are committed to building a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling every person to get on in life, and we can only do that by making sure all businesses making money in this country pay their fair share.

“The list of national and local UK businesses that can’t compete will get longer and longer. We must take a lead and use the power and influence of Government to promote fair play in Britain. ”