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"Britain's top tradesman" has revealed to GB News exactly why he is leaving the UK.Builder Martin Daly, 30, from Motherwell, was named Screwfix's Top Tradesperson of the Year for inspiring young people to enter the trade - but he is now ditching Scotland for Switzerland."I'm not going there just to get more money," he told Patrick Christys on Monday."It's more just for a better quality of life - to wake up, know that your Government is looking after you."But he also offered a damning assessment of the options on offer to up-and-coming tradespeople in the UK.In Britain, Mr Daly said, "no one can afford to take young people on". "I've had a few apprentices spread their wings. A few have gone to Australia, some have went out on their own," he said. "It's not that the younger generation don't want to get into the trades, but there's just not enough career paths and routes for them to go down."WATCH THE CLIP ABOVE FOR MORE
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0:00
Welcome back to Late Edition. Now, in tomorrow's Daily Telegraph, we have a feature on Martin Daly, who's Screwfix's top tradesman of the year
0:10
Builder Martin Daly, who at the age of 30, has now decided to down tools and leave the UK to Switzerland
0:17
following Rachel Reeves's maiden budget that hiked employer national insurance in devastating move on small businesses and obviously raised taxes for loads of people as well
0:26
I'm very pleased to be joined now by Martin Daly, Screwfix's top tradesperson of the year
0:32
founder of MD Builders, who's now set to leave the UK. Thank you very much for joining, especially at this time of night
0:37
It does show what a grafter you are, actually. So thank you very much, mate. Look, why are you leaving the UK, Len
0:41
Because I think I speak for everyone. I say we're really sorry to have you and people like you leave
0:47
Well, the main reason is just for more opportunities, Patrick. I just feel in the UK, I've kind of had a ceiling
0:54
about how much I can grow the business. And I feel as if you give so much
1:00
but you're just not getting as much back. So the reason why I want to go to Switzerland
1:05
is just to look for new opportunities, new ventures, and just a better quality of life, basically
1:10
And this is the point that I think this Labour government doesn't quite get, that people like you are mobile, right
1:15
You've got a good work ethic, a cracking work ethic, obviously. You're clearly very talented
1:19
and you can see business opportunities everywhere, and you can buy a plane ticket
1:23
and you can go somewhere else, can't you? Yeah, that's right, that's right
1:27
It seems to be that it's getting an easier decision to go
1:32
I'm getting, like you say, job offers in Switzerland that these type of countries are attracting you
1:36
They want you to be part of their society. Whereas in Britain, it just seems there isn't as much avenues
1:43
And I know like federations like the Federation of Master Builders are trying to improve these sort of things but there a lot more that needs to be done to get younger people and attract more tradespeople to actually want to stay
1:56
and build a business in the UK. Do you think we have the wrong attitude now in this country
2:02
to wealth creators, I suppose, which is one of the many things I would call you, right
2:07
You work hard, I don't know what you earn, but you deserve to earn whatever you do earn, right
2:12
do you think that we have the wrong attitude to people like that? Definitely, 100%
2:17
Me personally, I feel the harder I work, the more I'm kind of getting punished
2:22
And don't get me wrong, I know in different countries it can be just as difficult
2:27
but I don't see why I should work as hard and not get the kind of same things I can get in Switzerland
2:33
and be looked after and just a lot of things like that, to be honest, yeah
2:38
Do you mind me asking what some of the differences are Not, I'm slightly reluctant to ask this
2:44
so I don't want other people like you to see this and then think, oh gosh, I'm off to Switzerland. But what are some of the differences there
2:52
Well, the main reason I'm kind of going for is, obviously, and this is what people are kind of getting fused about
2:59
it's not just about money. So I'm not going there just to get more money
3:03
It's more just for a more, like a better quality of life, to wake up, know that your government are looking after you
3:09
and there's obviously some things you can't change like the weather and that, but just to wake up
3:13
and have slightly better wet on summer. I've been to Switzerland a good few times
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and I just feel that everybody's in just a happier kind of place
3:24
I mean, everybody wants to improve and the streets are cleaner, roads are looked after
3:29
like the food's better. I just feel as if there's just so many different and better things to do in Switzerland basically One of the things here that I reading this article is that you have trained and employed a small army of apprentices over the years but the Chancellor tax rise felt like punishment
3:47
for giving young people the opportunity to work. Could you just elaborate a bit on that for me, please
3:53
Yeah, so now I can't afford to take young people on. So I've had a few apprentices, and again
3:58
they have all spread their wings. A few of them have went to Australia. Some have went out on their own
4:03
and there seems to be now the younger generation are not really what
4:08
it's not that they don't want to get into the trades, but there's just not enough kind of paths
4:12
and routes for them to go down. So even myself, like I love to kind of help
4:17
the kind of younger generation, but it's got to a point now where I can't even afford to take them on
4:22
So there's too much red tape to grow a business. There's just the taxes to keep them on
4:27
the health and safety is just out of control. There's so many negative things now
4:31
and it's just not worth it. And you're 30 years old, aren't you now, I believe
4:36
Yes. So this is the thing. As a country, we should be looking at people like you
4:40
and thinking you could have another 30 years of work, more possibly if you wanted to, right
4:46
Which means if we just made it slightly more amenable to you, we could be getting another 30, 35 years of tax out of you
4:53
But we make it so intolerable now that it incentivises you to go elsewhere
4:57
Someone else gets the tax benefit of having you there. Other people get employed by having you there
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and we lose that. And it is such a short-sighted approach. Very quickly, if that's all right, Martin
5:08
what would we have to do now to keep you or get you back
5:14
Well, it's a very difficult question, to be honest. And I just feel like you just need to give back more to
5:20
not just myself, but everybody in Britain. I don like I just feel as if it very difficult You know what I mean Like to keep me I kind of feel like there nothing can that can really keep me here now my my anyways are set to go abroad and just have a different kind of
5:36
opportunity different like there's a ceiling here to grow a business it's just too difficult
5:40
i understand that you can maybe lower taxes and or make more incentives for me to grow a business
5:46
like to take younger generations on i can't do that so i don't see why i should just stay here
5:51
keep working all my days and not grow. So there needs to be more incentives for me to grow a business here
5:56
Very finally, sorry, very finally on this. What kind of hours have you been working when you've been, you know
6:02
at your peak here? What are we looking at? Because it's all new, isn't it? You've got business and stuff
6:06
So what kind of hours are you putting in? I put on like six, seven days a week I'm working on now
6:12
Just I put everything in. It's like you say, I love my business, love everything about it
6:19
I love what I do. and like I say, it's a hard decision for me to go
6:23
but the fact that in our country are saying, well, we can see the potential you've got
6:28
and we want that, it makes sense. I mean, I've got a country here
6:32
that potentially doesn't really want, not that it doesn't want me, but they're just making it harder for me to grow
6:38
and there's other businesses and this isn't just Switzerland. We're getting offers from Australia and that to go over
6:43
so why? Look, good luck to you. But thank you very much for coming on
6:50
It is, you know, I get that it's clear, I think, that you're leaving with a heavy heart, right
6:54
It's not that you don't like the country generally. It's the fact that it's become uncomfortable for you, maybe
6:58
and impractical for you. And I'm very sorry that's happened. I do hope that in a few years' time we can do another interview
7:04
about why you're coming back, you know, because we need people. We need people like you here
7:09
So, look, thanks for everything that you've done. And good luck in Switzerland. Anyway, enjoy the mountains
7:15
All right, take care. Martin Daly there. Screwfish is top tradesperson of the year
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