UK small businesses falling behind on AI, Google warns October 12, 2025 New research from Google has revealed a bottleneck in UK small business innovation. Over half, or 59 per cent, of SME owners say they have had to put ‘game changing’ ideas on hold over the past year, citing a lack of time to bring their concepts to life. For many, these stalled ideas are more [...]
Tories vow to ease IR35 rules and cut red tape for small businesses October 6, 2025 Identification checks for small businesses would be eased under a new Tory pledge to slash red tape and allow entrepreneurs to open bank accounts at a quicker pace. Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, will tell party members that the Tories would make growth among small businesses central to wider economic plans as they would [...]
eBay launches £3m AI programme for UK SMEs October 1, 2025 E-commerce giant eBay has unveiled a major initiative aimed at helping UK small businesses harness the power of AI and compete with larger enterprises. The company’s new programme, ‘AI activate’, is a £3m investment that will provide up to 10,000 small enterprises with fully funded access to OpenAI-powered tools and tailored training to boost productivity [...]
HMRC loses over £800m to small business ‘phoenixing’ September 12, 2025 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has lost more than £800m – more than previously estimated – through a tax loophole open to abuse by small businesses in the UK. The practice, known as ‘phoenixing‘, is where companies are repeatedly liquidate then set up as a new, identical, debt-free business. The tax authority lost £836m to this [...]
CBI boss calls for Rachel Reeves to break Labour’s tax pledge September 10, 2025 The boss of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has suggested the chancellor should tear up Labour’s manifesto pledge not to raise taxes on working people, as businesses brace themselves ahead of the Autumn Budget. Rachel Reeves is widely expected to introduce a fresh package of tax hikes in her 26 November Budget, in order [...]
Employment Bill sparks SME fear over costs and red tape September 2, 2025 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have voiced growing concerns over the government’s sweeping Employment Rights Bill, warning that the reforms could place a disproportionate strain on firms already grappling with rising costs and a challenging economic climate. The legislation, billed as the most significant upgrade to workplace protections in a generation, is due for its third reading [...]
Jubel CEO: ‘We’re doing something different and it’s working’ August 27, 2025 When CEO and founder of Jubel, Jesse Wilson, left his corporate role to create his own lager, he knew he wanted to carve out a peach-shaped niche in a saturated beer market. Since its launch in 2018, Jubel has reached that goal, with its trademark fruity lager on tap in nearly 1,500 pubs across the [...]
UK online SMEs confident despite economic headwinds August 21, 2025 A wave of online small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs are showing confidence in their future, despite wider economic pressures, a new report from eBay UK suggests. The study found that nearly four in five, or 78 per cent, of online small businesses expect to see growth over the next 12 months, with a third [...]
Starling Bank snaps up UK fintech firm in small business push August 19, 2025 Starling Bank has snapped up its UK fintech peer Ember in a bid to ramp up its services for small business customers. The London-based firm said as part of the takeover, Ember’s tax and bookkeeping software will be built into Starling’s app and online bank. The deal, which Starling did not disclose the price of, [...]
Zempler Bank grows profit on the back of high interest rates August 6, 2025 Zempler Bank has recorded its third consecutive year of profitability after a cheering jump in customer deposits and a strong performance in interest income. The UK fintech – formerly known as Cashplus – recorded a 58 per cent leap in pre-tax profit to £5.2m for the year ending March 31 2025. It comes as deposits [...]