Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, has visited three of Portsmouth’s brilliant local hair and beauty businesses to celebrate British Beauty Week 2026 and recognise the important role they play in the city’s high streets and communities.
- Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, visits Blades in Drayton and MUSE in Copnor to celebrate the city’s brilliant local beauty businesses.
- Amanda praised the sector’s contribution to local high streets, jobs and opportunities for young people, inspired by the work of Ha Ha Hair in North End on apprenticeships and training.
- British Beauty Week celebrates an industry that contributed £28.3 billion to UK GDP in 2025 and supports 595,000 jobs nationwide.
Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, has visited three of Portsmouth’s brilliant local hair and beauty businesses to celebrate British Beauty Week 2026 and recognise the important role they play in the city’s high streets and communities.
Amanda visited the brilliant Blades in Drayton to have her hair done and the super-friendly MUSE in Copnor for her nails. This comes on the back of the visits to Ha Ha Hair in North End, which is helping young people in Portsmouth build their skills and start careers through apprenticeships and training.
The visits highlighted how independent hair and beauty businesses do far more than provide essential services. They bring life to local high streets, support jobs and offer young people the chance to develop skills and build rewarding careers.
The British Beauty Council’s Value of Beauty report, published in June 2026, estimates that the beauty and personal care industry directly contributed £28.3 billion to UK GDP in 2025 and supported 595,000 jobs across the country.
Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, said: “It was brilliant to visit Blades in Drayton and MUSE in Copnor and celebrate the fantastic local businesses that make Portsmouth special. We’re lucky to have so many talented people running businesses at the heart of our communities.
“I’m particularly inspired by the work Ha Ha Hair in North End does to train young people and create apprenticeship opportunities. We need to give more young people the chance to learn a trade, develop their talents and build a career right here in Portsmouth.
“Our local hair and beauty businesses support jobs, bring life to our high streets and help our communities thrive. I’ll always champion them and the opportunities they create for local people.”
Kate Dearden, Minister for the Future of Work, responsible for personal care, said: “The British beauty sector is so important to local economies and communities across the UK . British Beauty Week is a fantastic annual celebration of this vital contribution and opens conversations about how we can support this sector.
“I will continue working with Amanda Martin MP to support beauty and personal care businesses in Portsmouth”.
