Funding gap looms over Britain’s small businesses Business Record numbers of Brits are starting businesses, but innovation and export activity among small and medium-sized enterprises have fallen to a four-year low, as a looming funding gap threatens growth. The latest State of Small Business Britain report from the European Research Council (ERC) found that 36 per cent of working-age adults are running or [...]
HSBC and Sage tackle Making Tax Digital burden for SMEs Tech HSBC UK is launching a new digital tax tool inside its business banking platform, as the countdown to the government’s biggest shake-up of income tax reporting enters its final phase. Built using embedded tech from Sage, the service, called My Business Finances, will allow small business owners to manage invoicing and tax reporting. The move [...]
British SMEs locked out of trade deal benefits as red tape bites Business Britain’s small businesses are failing to reap the rewards of the government’s post-Brexit trade deals, as red tape, tariffs, and weak confidence leave exports flatlining and financial distress mounting across SMEs, according to a new report. New figures from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) show that 84 per cent of firms with fewer than [...]
Reeves ‘pressures business chiefs to talk up the UK economy’ October 11, 2025 Rachel Reeves has ramped up pressure on business leaders to “talk up” the economy in the run up to the Autumn Budget. The Chancellor has framed her rallying cry to businesses that if they do not support a positive narrative around the economy, they risk Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister. The Treasury has warned top [...]
Businesses face ‘unprecedented’ political risk ahead of Budget September 23, 2025 UK business leaders are battling an “unprecedented scale” of simmering global tensions which are set to impact profitability, according to a new survey. Concerns have spiked from the beginning of the year, a fresh survey from Beazley has concluded, with 85 per cent of UK business leaders saying political risk is affecting their profitability. This [...]
Business confidence edges up despite tax raid fears August 29, 2025 Business confidence has grown for the fourth consecutive month, according to a fresh survey, despite rising speculation of a fresh tax raid on businesses by the Labour government. Lloyds Bank’s business confidence index edged up two points to 54 per cent in August as sentiment among manufacturers climbed to its highest in a decade. The [...]
Bank of England interest rate cut offers modest boost for UK SMEs August 11, 2025 The Bank of England’s recent decision to reduce its base interest rate from 4.25 per cent to four per cent marks the first time borrowing costs have fallen to this level since March 2023, offering a modest reprieve for UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) after two years of elevated rates. According to new analysis [...]
UK business confidence highest in 10 years, Lloyds Bank says July 31, 2025 UK business confidence is at its highest level in 10 years as the service sector saw the biggest jump in optimism month-on-month, according to Lloyds Bank. Firms were more optimistic for the third consecutive month, with the rise driven by improved trade prospects and an improved economic outlook. Lloyds’ survey suggested hiring intentions had also [...]
Retail profit warnings more than double as high street pressures mount July 21, 2025 Profit alerts among retailers more than doubled in the second quarter as consumers reined in their spending and firms faced soaring wage costs, according to a report. The latest report from EY-Parthenon also revealed that overall profit warnings among UK-listed firms jumped by a fifth year-on-year in the second quarter – with a record proportion [...]
UK firms unprepared for Companies House crackdown July 15, 2025 Significant changes are set to come into effect at Companies House over the next few months, but new research shows most managers are unprepared for the transition. With key provisions of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) about to take effect, new research from Vistra reveals that only 28 per cent of UK [...]