Sir Keir Starmer and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves spoke to women entrepreneurs during a lunchtime visit to Swindon today.
They also took the opportunity to heavily criticise yesterday's Autumn Statement by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
The Labour leader and Ms Reeves visited The Foundry, which is based at the former Brunel Carriage Works and offers a support programme for entrepreneurs from all backgrounds at no charge.
Sir Keir said: "We have spoken to entrepreneurs here in Swindon who were really inspiring, with different businesses that they're running and that they want to succeed in.
"What I took away from that is that they have huge ambition, and they want a Government that shares that ambition.
"They want a secure economy in which they can actually get on with their dream, which is to run their business. For pretty well all of them, they were worried that because the Government has done such damage to our economy, many people in and around Swindon will have less money in their pockets, which means that there's less money to go on local businesses.
"We had a very constructive discussion about how the Labour Party, a Labour Government, would change all that, and actually be a Government that shares the ambition of those entrepreneurs rather than a Government that holds it back."
Asked what headlines the country would have awoken to had Labour rather than the Conservatives been in charge of the Autumn Statement, Sir Keir said: "Different choices.
"Let me give you a very clear example. If the Labour Party had been a Labour Government, we wouldn't have been looking to working people to foot the bill of the damage that this Government has done - and that's what they did. Massive damage to our economy, not just in the last 12 weeks but over the last 12 years.
"They go for working people with a steal tax, with council taxes. We would have made the tough choice that they didn't make, which was to say that non-dom status has to go - this is the status that allows the super-rich to avoid taxes altogether.
"So it would have been a very different headline coming out of that Autumn Statement had we been in power."
The Shadow Chancellor said: "There would have been a proper plan to grow our economy, because the big reason we're in the mess we're in and that living standards are on the floor and expected in the next couple of years to fall at the sharpest rate ever on record is because there hasn't been a plan to grow the economy.
"We've set out Labour's Green Prosperity Plan because we think there are massive opportunities in Britain to be global leaders in some of those industries of the future, like carbon capture and storage, green hydrogen, floating offshore wind, renewable-ready ports.
"Some country in the world is going to be a leader in those industries - why not Britain?
"We were talking to the fantastic women entrepreneurs here today. Many of them, in the months and years ahead will want to be setting up their own businesses, but business rates work against our high street and our small businesses, and we would have used yesterday's Autumn Statement to probably reform business rates to help our small businesses and high streets to thrive."
Asked whether he supported workers threatening strike action, the Labour leader said: "None of those involved in industrial action want to be taking industrial action, but they are working people who are struggling to pay their bills because of the damage that the Government has done to the economy.
"So what I say is for the Government to resolve those issues, get around the table."
Sir Keir called for a General Election, saying: "Then people can choose whether they want to carry on with this failure of the last 12 years or do they want a Labour Government that will stabilise the economy, that will have a proper plan for growth and will restore the reputation of the United Kingdom across the world."
Foundry Business Advisor Simone Ward-Baptiste said of the meeting with the entrepreneurs: "It went really well. It's always great to out the foundry on the map so we can get in front of as many small business owners as we can in the region.
"We're really looking forward to welcoming our new cohort of people in January. The small business owners that were here today really felt heard, and they liked the opportunity to talk about their business worries and how they may be helped in the future."
The Labour leader and Ms Reeves visited The Foundry, which is based at the former Brunel Carriage Works and offers a support programme for entrepreneurs from all backgrounds at no charge.
Sir Keir said: "We have spoken to entrepreneurs here in Swindon who were really inspiring, with different businesses that they're running and that they want to succeed in.
"What I took away from that is that they have huge ambition, and they want a Government that shares that ambition.
"They want a secure economy in which they can actually get on with their dream, which is to run their business. For pretty well all of them, they were worried that because the Government has done such damage to our economy, many people in and around Swindon will have less money in their pockets, which means that there's less money to go on local businesses.
"We had a very constructive discussion about how the Labour Party, a Labour Government, would change all that, and actually be a Government that shares the ambition of those entrepreneurs rather than a Government that holds it back."
Asked what headlines the country would have awoken to had Labour rather than the Conservatives been in charge of the Autumn Statement, Sir Keir said: "Different choices.
"Let me give you a very clear example. If the Labour Party had been a Labour Government, we wouldn't have been looking to working people to foot the bill of the damage that this Government has done - and that's what they did. Massive damage to our economy, not just in the last 12 weeks but over the last 12 years.
"They go for working people with a steal tax, with council taxes. We would have made the tough choice that they didn't make, which was to say that non-dom status has to go - this is the status that allows the super-rich to avoid taxes altogether.
"So it would have been a very different headline coming out of that Autumn Statement had we been in power."
The Shadow Chancellor said: "There would have been a proper plan to grow our economy, because the big reason we're in the mess we're in and that living standards are on the floor and expected in the next couple of years to fall at the sharpest rate ever on record is because there hasn't been a plan to grow the economy.
"We've set out Labour's Green Prosperity Plan because we think there are massive opportunities in Britain to be global leaders in some of those industries of the future, like carbon capture and storage, green hydrogen, floating offshore wind, renewable-ready ports.
"Some country in the world is going to be a leader in those industries - why not Britain?
"We were talking to the fantastic women entrepreneurs here today. Many of them, in the months and years ahead will want to be setting up their own businesses, but business rates work against our high street and our small businesses, and we would have used yesterday's Autumn Statement to probably reform business rates to help our small businesses and high streets to thrive."
Asked whether he supported workers threatening strike action, the Labour leader said: "None of those involved in industrial action want to be taking industrial action, but they are working people who are struggling to pay their bills because of the damage that the Government has done to the economy.
"So what I say is for the Government to resolve those issues, get around the table."
Sir Keir called for a General Election, saying: "Then people can choose whether they want to carry on with this failure of the last 12 years or do they want a Labour Government that will stabilise the economy, that will have a proper plan for growth and will restore the reputation of the United Kingdom across the world."
Foundry Business Advisor Simone Ward-Baptiste said of the meeting with the entrepreneurs: "It went really well. It's always great to out the foundry on the map so we can get in front of as many small business owners as we can in the region.
"We're really looking forward to welcoming our new cohort of people in January. The small business owners that were here today really felt heard, and they liked the opportunity to talk about their business worries and how they may be helped in the future."
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