Bosses fear workers’ rights overhaul more than National Insurance hike March 3, 2025 Employers are more worried about the government’s upcoming reforms to workers’ rights than the widely condemned National Insurance rises announced in the October Budget, a fresh poll has revealed. More than a third (34 per cent) of bosses cited the far-reaching overhaul to employment rights as the biggest challenge facing their organisation in 2025 despite [...]
Small businesses forced to raise prices ahead of national insurance jump March 3, 2025 The price of small businesses’ goods and services is set to be the latest victim of Rachel Reeves’ national insurance hike, a new survey has revealed. More than four-in-ten of the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) have said the government’s increase in National Insurance Contributions (NIC) for employers will negatively impact them. Nearly a [...]
Did IR35 really generate £4.2bn in extra taxes? March 3, 2025 A report on IR35 revealed that £4.2bn was generated in extra tax since the reforms, but experts have warned that the impact "has been continually downplayed"
Mid size firms stifled by export barriers and rising costs March 3, 2025 Increasing workforce costs and export barriers are threatening the growth of UK mid-size firms. According to new research from BDO, which surveyed 500 business leaders representing companies with turnovers between £10m and £300m, the sector cited international trade challenges as the top concern over the next six months. Over a third, 34 per cent, of [...]
One in five Brits in ‘high financial stress’ as economic woes deepen March 3, 2025 Public confidence in the UK economy has taken another hit, with the latest City AM Freshwater Strategy poll showing little hope for the near future. The polling revealed nearly one in five voters, 18 per cent, could not pay an unexpected £500 bill, categorising them as in “high financial stress”. 35 per cent said their [...]
CBI: Consumer spending slump deflating private sector confidence March 3, 2025 Sluggish consumer spending is damaging the private sector, according to new CBI data that shows business volumes declining faster than in the last quarter. The CBI has projected that private sector activity will fall for a fourth consecutive quarter in the three months up to May, with a 23 per cent drop in activity for [...]
Manufacturing job cuts accelerate ahead of national insurance hike March 3, 2025 Activity in the UK’s manufacturing sector dropped to its lowest level in fourteen months, a new survey has revealed, with lower demand and weak confidence plaguing the industry. The S&P’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed downturns deepened as firms braced for changes made in the Government’s budget to be enacted. The index stood at [...]
Rugby referees get specialist insurance policy from Howden March 3, 2025 The first specialist insurance package for UK rugby referees has been launched by Howden and athlete wellbeing provider Player Support Services. The scheme costs £10 a month and promises referees policies customised for rugby officiating and swift diagnosis and treatment in the event of an injury. It is the brainchild of former ref Mike Mulroy, [...]
Spring Statement 2025: Rachel Reeves should be courageous and favour economics over ideology, says Interactive Investor boss March 3, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves needs to be “quite courageous” and not “allow ideology to get in the way of economics” when she delivers her Spring Statement on 26 March, the chief executive of Interactive Investor has said. Richard Wilson, speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, added that the government’s growth agenda [...]
Ministers expected to axe ‘right to switch off’ in coming week March 2, 2025 Ministers are expected to axe plans to give people a right to “switch off” outside work hours, reports have suggested. The policy was a central part of Sir Keir Starmer’s manifesto promise of a “New Deal for Working People” aimed at strengthening employment rights. It did not appear in the Employment Bill which is currently [...]