Budget 2026: Sainsbury’s boss urges Labour to tackle Neets crisis Retail The boss of Sainsbury’s has urged the government to tackle the UK’s youth unemployment crisis, as he hit out at previous hikes to the cost of hiring workers. Simon Roberts, chief executive of the UK’s second-largest grocer, said John Healey must “focus on doing the right thing for young people” at next week’s Budget. In [...]
Amazon pledges 30,000 jobs for Neets ahead of Budget Retail Amazon has pledged to create 30,000 entry-level roles for young people by the end of the decade, in the latest sign of firms rowing in behind the government’s effort to tackle the youth unemployment crisis. The tech and retail giant has announced its “Youth Promise” programme amid growing concerns about youth joblessness and the number [...]
James Dyson is right, technical universies are the solution to the NEETs crisis Opinion Technical universities in partnership with employers like Dyson can help up-skill the population, re-industrialise the nation and solve the NEETSs crisis. And Hereford is already showing the way forward, says Byron Evans A million young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Over 250,000 vacancies sit unfilled because the skilled workers needed are [...]
Tories call for urgent action on youth unemployment in Budget October 18, 2026 Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately has said the government needs to “take action in the Budget” to “back businesses to employ more young people”, referring the one million young people who are not in employment, education or training (Neets). Talking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Whately said the Labour party have [...]
Sunday trading, VAT-free shopping? Healey has plenty of low-hanging fruit this Budget October 14, 2026 Sunday trading, tax exemptions for NEETs: there's an abundance of low-hanging fruit for Healey to back businesses this Budget.
We’ll cut Neet support if Healey hikes taxes, warns boss of B&Q owner Kingfisher October 14, 2026 The boss of B&Q-owner Kingfisher has warned John Healey that the FTSE 100 firm may have to cut its support for unemployed young people if the Chancellor hikes taxes. Thierry Garnier, the retail group’s chief executive, wrote in City AM that the Chancellor must exempt shops from the highest bracket of business rates at the [...]
Exclusive: Healey looks to lower business costs of hiring young people October 14, 2026 Chancellor John Healey is drawing up measures to slash the cost of hiring under-25-year-olds at the Budget, City AM understands, as the government looks to tackle the crisis of youth unemployment and ease pressures facing businesses. A move to tackle the number of young people not in employment, education or training (Neets) by reducing hiring [...]
Retailers press Healey to cut high street taxes at crunch Downing St meeting October 13, 2026 Retailers urged John Healey to “reverse the damage” of rising high street taxes as the Chancellor met industry bosses on Tuesday. Top retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer pressed Healey on business rates and youth unemployment but the Chancellor stopped short of confirming any Budget measures. Healey hosted high street bosses at Number [...]
Minister denies Labour’s tax hikes behind youth unemployment October 8, 2026 The Labour government’s £25bn hike in taxes paid by employers is not the main driver behind rising youth unemployment, a government minister told City AM. Baroness Jacqui Smith, the skills minister, said that changes in NICs and minimum wages have not been the main drivers behind a rise in unemployment rates for people under the [...]
Hull City’s ‘strange’ £55m loan beat Independent Football Regulator deadline September 30, 2026 Hull City took a loan from an American billionaire whose previous hedge fund was fined $1.8bn for fraud and insider trading shortly before mandatory Independent Football Regulator scrutiny of such deals kicked in. Following their promotion to the Premier League, Hull City secured a £55m loan against the club’s stadium from Point72 Lending Ltd, a [...]