THE new Small Business Minister, Margot James, will be guest speaker at this year's CN Group Business Awards.

Entries closed earlier this month and the judging panel convened this week to examine the entries in detail.

The awards are run by CN Group, parent company of in-Cumbria.com.

They recognise and celebrate Cumbria's most enterprising, innovative and dynamic businesses and the people who run them.

There are 15 categories, including the prestigious 'businessperson of the year', and the awards are open to any business trading in the county.

The winners will be unveiled at a gala dinner at the Low Wood Bay Resort Hotel, near Ambleside, on October 20.

The former Small Business Minister, Anna Soubry, had agreed to be keynote speaker but she was ousted in Theresa May's reshuffle.

Ms James was appointed to replace her on July 17.

Her responsibilities include small business, enterprise, retail, consumer and competition, deregulation and regulatory reform, labour markets, corporate governance, local growth and the national minimum wage.

She has served on the business select committee, chairs the All Party Group on Trade and Investment and has led trade missions to Singapore, Indonesia and Brazil.