Business leaders warn Budget tax hikes could trigger higher prices November 10, 2025 Senior business leaders have called on the government to avoid increasing the cost of employment in the upcoming Autumn Budget, in order to avoid SMEs raising prices. According to a new report by Employment Hero, 86 per cent of the 1,000 business leaders are concerned about what the upcoming Budget will mean for them, as [...]
Reeves’ tax plans to push one in eight businesses overseas November 10, 2025 One in eight small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) leaders in the UK are actively planning to relocate themselves, their businesses, or both, citing the current tax burden. This amounts to roughly 680,000 businesses out of the UK’s 5.67m SMEs, according to a new report by Rathbones. The findings come just weeks ahead of Rachel Reeves’ [...]
Banks set to escape tax raid from Rachel Reeves after lobbying November 6, 2025 Rachel Reeves is expected to avoid a cash grab on Britain’s banking titans in her forthcoming autumn Budget after the industry flagged concerns around international competitiveness. The Chancellor is understood to be hesitant on targeting the banks for a cash raid after a string of warnings from top industry chiefs on the impact on economic [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves must cure British ‘pessimism’ disease November 5, 2025 Ahead of the Autumn Budget, City Reporter Samuel Norman sits down with top industry names for a Budget Briefing. This week, chief executive of Peel Hunt urges Reeves to use the Budget to start the cure for British pessimism. As Rachel Reeves ruminates over which tax prescription to write to fill her fiscal black hole, [...]
Lawyers warn Reeves: Don’t destroy £60bn industry over LLPs gambit November 4, 2025 The legal industry has slammed Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ proposed tax hike on LLPs, saying the move “could harm one of the UK’s most globally competitive sectors.” As she aims to fill the fiscal black hole, Reeves is reportedly targeting limited liability partnerships (LLPs) for a tax raid for the first time. The LLP model, used [...]
Labour has ‘unbelievably harsh stance’ on big businesses November 4, 2025 It is “unbelievable” that the Labour government has “taken such a harsh stance” on big businesses, the chief executive of restaurant chain Pizza Express has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM’s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, Paula MacKenzie said the industry had been “somewhat decimated” by the Covid-19 pandemic and has then been hit [...]
Manufacturers urge government to ‘get growth off the floor’ at Budget November 4, 2025 The manufacturing industry has warned the government to prioritise growth in the Budget as the sector fights back from a year-long downturn in the face of “existential threats.” Manufacturers have faced mounting pressures over the last 12 months as business costs soared in the aftermath of Labour’s first Budget before tariff uncertainty and persistently high [...]
Minimum wage hike puts pressure on professional starting salaries November 3, 2025 With Rachel Reeves poised to raise the minimum wage in her Autumn Budget, mid-tier professional services firms are bracing for significant impacts across the sector. As reported last week, the Budget will likely see employers forced to raise workers’ wages from £12.21 to at least £12.70 an hour. However, for businesses, especially those in the [...]
Productivity crisis deepens as public sector continues to stutter November 3, 2025 Public sector productivity has dropped at its fastest rate in nearly three years, according to fresh official figures that lay bare the government’s multi-year struggle to revive the efficiency of the country’s creaking public services. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed total productivity at state-owned bodies fell by 0.7 per cent year [...]
Reeves’ Budget tax hikes force nearly 5,000 pubs to the brink November 3, 2025 The tax hikes announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last year’s Budget have contributed to almost 5,000 pubs now being rated at maximum risk and becoming technically insolvent, according to new research. Figures from Price Bailey have revealed that just over 4,7000 pubs are now in that position, a 14 per cent rise on this [...]