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Prime Minister Gordon Brown and business secretary Peter Mandelson paid a surprise visit to Kent to unveil a multi-million pound package of help for small firms.

They spent around an hour and a half at Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, on Tuesday talking to representatives of small and medium-sized businesses of all sizes and assuring them they are crucial to getting the UK out of its current economic difficulties.

The park was chosen because of its tight security and the number of hi-tech firms that are growing on the site. Like other small enterprises, they are reckoned to hold the keys to job creation.

Listen to Gordon Brown speaking in Kent on Tuesday

The visit was part of a high-profile government campaign to put small business at the heart of economic recovery.

It followed earlier pledges by John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, that the multi-billion pound cash injection in the banking system feeds through to small businesses facing cashflow difficulties.

Mr Denham was also on the visit, as well as Jonathan Shaw, the minister for the south east and MP for Chatham and Aylesford.

Many small firms have reported banks turning down requests for loans and extended credit, although the Federation of Small Businesses in Kent has said those with the normal ups and downs of cashflow have not seen any change.

The new package of help includes a government pledge to pay small firms’ bills within 10 days instead of the usual 30.

It also promises more investment in skills training and encourages colleges to work more closely with small firms to deliver workplace courses.