Manufacturing sector breakdown worsens amid ‘dearth of export work’ October 1, 2025 A breakdown in activity across the manufacturing sector has deepened as new data has shown export work coming to a halt and investment falling flat. S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for manufacturing in September showed the sector was still struggling to bounce back despite some quiet optimism in recent months. Activity in the sector [...]
Global uncertainty: Political and digital risks reshape corporate priorities October 1, 2025 A surge in political risk and tensions has resulted in geopolitical volatility entering Aon’s top ten global business concerns for the first time. Aon’s ‘Global Risk Management Survey’, based on nearly 3,000 risk managers, C-suite leaders, and executives, revealed the most pressing risks for business decision-makers. The top ten list of risks facing businesses in [...]
Tax hikes push firms to automate jobs, says top UK recruiter October 1, 2025 Tax hikes and wage pressures are putting Brits at risk of losing roles to automation and offshoring, a top UK recruitment firm has warned. Hays has warned Britain is becoming “unattractive to hire people permanently” as employer costs mounted over the last year. “Wage pressures and national insurance changes are pushing employers to explore automation [...]
‘Packaging tax’ to force further price rises October 1, 2025 UK businesses will be forced to pass the vast majority of costs incurred by a new packaging tax onto consumers, in a move that will stoke already rampant food inflation and compound financial pressures on hard-pressed households. According to fresh figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), retailers plan to pass over 80 per cent [...]
New green tax labelled ‘own goal’ ahead of Budget September 30, 2025 A new green tax coming into effect this week has been labeled an “own goal” for the Labour government and stoked fears it could lead to prices soaring. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) levy is designed to increase increasing recycling rates among local authorities, by passing on the costs onto the companies selling the products. [...]
Keir Starmer ramps up attack on Reform in vow to ‘renew Britain’ September 30, 2025 Prime Minister Keir Starmer ramped up his attacks on Reform as he called for Brits to unite behind the government’s mission to “renew” the country. In a make or break speech to Labour Party members, Starmer said the country was at a crossroads moment to deliver “renewal” – though he pushed back against claims Britain [...]
Farmfoods: Iceland rival battles rising costs September 30, 2025 Budget supermarket chain Farmfoods has said rising costs weighed on its profit as it battled to keep prices down for its customers. The business, which is headquartered in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, has posted a pre-tax profit of £33.1m for 2024, up from the £25.5m it achieved in 2023. However, Farmfoods said “increased cost pressures” resulted [...]
Doing business in Britain is too difficult, too expensive and too uncertain September 30, 2025 Business confidence is at a three-year low and productivity has not improved for 15 years. It is businesses that policymakers must turn to – and fast – to get growth back on track, writes ICAEW chief executive Alan Vallance Whatever your political leanings, we can all agree that the UK faces a challenging economic context. Weak [...]
Retail body warns against tax hikes amid ‘nightmare’ inflation September 30, 2025 Britain’s largest retail business group has warned the Treasury that further tax hikes on businesses will keep shop prices “higher for longer”, after data showed food inflation in September remained at its highest levels since the height of the cost-of-living crisis. British Retail Consortium (BRC) chief executive Helen Dickinson said even if the Chancellor chooses [...]
Jaguar Land Rover to restart some production ‘in coming days’ September 29, 2025 Jaguar Land Rover will restart some of its manufacturing operations in the coming days, the carmaker has said, over a month after it was forced to shut down its plant to deal with a brutal cyber attack that has left dozens of its suppliers on the brink of failure. In a statement released on Monday, [...]