We are governed by people who don’t know what they’re doing August 6, 2025 Almost 100,000 jobs in the hospitality sector have disappeared since the government unveiled its hike to employers’ National Insurance Contributions, and lowered the threshold at which it is paid. Employers have also had to contend with a rise in the minimum wage amid a storm of other headwinds including inflation, energy costs and generally weak [...]
How a slow burning legal battle could cost UK supermarkets millions July 24, 2025 UK supermarkets are struggling through turmoil but quietly in the background, an ongoing legal battle is unfolding that could cost them millions
Next boss Lord Wolfson in calls for ‘renewed centre right’ July 19, 2025 Lord Wolfson, the boss of retail giant Next, has called for a “renewed centre right” which champions the free markets’ importance in raising living standards. Wolfson, a Conservative life peer and prominent supporter of Brexit, argued a “commitment to liberty” should form the basis of the right-wing movement in the UK. “This classical liberalism stands [...]
Businesses stand ready tackle long-term sickness – if only we let them July 18, 2025 The huge spike in people being signed off work for mental health problems is a disaster for their individual wellbeing and for Britain’s economic prospects. Thankfully, the private sector is more than prepared to play its part, says Nick Tyrone The latest employment figures make for stark reading. Data from the ONS this week tells [...]
Government must ‘take its head out of the sand’ after jobs plunge July 17, 2025 Small businesses have urged the government to “take its head out of the sand” over tax hikes and a flurry of fresh employment regulations after the Office for National Statistics reported another consecutive month of jobs losses. Responding to Thursday’s unemployment figures, the Federation for Small Businesses said the jobs plunge was “disturbing” and that [...]
House of Lords vote in favour of Tory-backed alternative to ‘day-one’ employment rights July 17, 2025 The House of Lords has voted vastly in favour of a Conservative-led amendment to the 'day-one' rights in the final reporting stage of the Employment Rights Bill
Major workers’ rights changes delayed in bid to win over business July 1, 2025 Controversial plans to hand new employees a glut of additional rights from day one and make flexible working the default will not be implemented until 2027, the government has said, after a deluge of warnings from industry that the measures would stifle firms’ ability to hire and invest. As part of the long-awaited roadmap for [...]
Tories vow to rip up workers’ rights package June 26, 2025 The Conservative Party will rip up Labour’s contentious workers’ rights overhaul if they are elected in a bid “once again” to convince voters it is the party of business. In a speech to business leaders on Thursday, shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith will warn attendees the Employment Rights Bill will hand “enormous power” to trade [...]
Alarm bells as retail sales suffer largest fall in 18 months June 20, 2025 UK high streets suffered from post-Easter fatigue among shoppers as official data showed retail sales dropped by 2.7 per cent in May. The Office for National Statistics said a fall in sales in May represented the largest month-on-month drop since December 2023. A Bloomberg poll of economists expected retail sales to drop by 0.5 per [...]
UK firms dodge Labour tax raid with WFH roles abroad June 13, 2025 UK companies are turning to work-from-home (WFH) South Africans and other workers in East Asia in a cost-cutting drive to dodge Rachel Reeves’ £20bn tax raid on employers and stringent workers’ rights. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has spoken about his determination to “put working people’s priorities first” while welfare cuts have been made to [...]