‘What do they have to hide?’ Ministers must not scrap regulatory watchdog Opinion The Regulatory Policy Committee keeps a close eye on government red tape, and scrapping it would be a serious mistake – says Andrew Griffith. Red tape is strangling British business. A survey just out from the Federation of Small Businesses has found small firms and entrepreneurs collectively spend 379 million hours a year complying with [...]
Rachel Reeves is acting like the mayor in Jaws – and small businesses are suffering Opinion The FTSE may be at an all-time high, but Reeves should not pretend all is calm when the waters are extremely choppy for small businesses, says Andrew Griffith Embattled ministers love good news to boast about on social media or in a TV studio, and this government’s most embattled minister, Rachel Reeves, is no exception. [...]
Price caps for pop concerts: is there any market Labour won’t restrict? Opinion Labour’s plan for a ban on secondary ticket sales is an open door for fraudsters. Yet more proof that only the Conservatives believe in free markets, says Andrew Griffith Anyone would think that growth is roaring back, public spending has been brought firmly under control and small boat crossings to our shores have ceased. Why? [...]
It’s time to take a chainsaw to red tape November 19, 2025 Britain’s regulatory state is about the only thing that’s growing under this Labour government, says Andrew Griffith As business now know, words are cheap – it’s actions that count. Rachel Reeves has spoken at length about her drive to deregulate the city, from her Mansion House speech in the summer to a recent deregulatory launch. [...]
Labour should pull it’s Employment Rights Bill before it becomes the Unemployment Act November 6, 2025 Labour’s new law will mean a new starter can show up at work at 9am and file a costly claim against their boss by lunchtime, says Andrew Griffith MPs debated amendments to Labour’s so-called Employment Rights Bill yesterday. Employers are dreading this Bill. Written by and for the trade unions, it poses a dire threat to businesses [...]
Rachel Reeves is in a hole, but she just keeps digging October 22, 2025 Only the Conservatives have a plan to turn the economy around by abolishing stamp duty, cut welfare spending and get Britain back to work, says Andrew Griffith Rachel Reeves’ much-dreaded Autumn Budget is now just over a month away. And with each passing week there is a crescendo building. It’s made up of voices from [...]
Employers are barely an afterthought for Labour September 17, 2025 The economy is flatlining. Unemployment is rising. Investors are fleeing our shores. At times like these, businesses needs support. But instead of a shot in the arm, they get a series of knives in the back. One of Labour’s first acts after coming to power was to hike Employer National Insurance Contributions. And now the employers [...]
Good A-levels are no guarantee in Labour’s abysmal jobs market August 14, 2025 As teenagers open their A-Level results, Andrew Griffith laments a job market that is punishing today's young people.
Wise’s London listing snub shows the need for urgent City reform June 6, 2025 The loss of the primary listing of the fin tech Wise from London is another body blow to those seeking to reboot its fortunes as the international market where the best ideas find the best capital, writes shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith. Coming on the eve of London Tech Week it’s a real downer and [...]
Is reckless Reeves about to open the door to the next financial crisis? October 15, 2024 Rachel Reeves’ plan to change the fiscal rules to redefine debt reveal a Chancellor dangerously out of her depth, says Andrew Griffith A flurry of briefings suggest that the Chancellor is rolling the pitch to change the fiscal rules or the definitions of debt within them. These are the same thing: the ‘golden rule’ of [...]
