Morrisons is closing 100 loss-making convenience stores, putting hundreds of jobs at risk, and has blamed Labour’s “policy choices” for the rising costs eroding profitability.
Category: News
The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK
April borrowing surges to £24.3bn as debt interest bill breaks month record
UK public sector borrowing climbed to £24.3bn in April 2026, overshooting the OBR forecast, as Treasury debt interest payments hit a record £10.3bn for the month.
Jaguar Land Rover eyes American tie-up with Stellantis to sidestep Trump tariffs
Jaguar Land Rover signs a memorandum of understanding with Stellantis to explore building Range Rovers and Defenders in the US, sidestepping President Trump’s tariff cap on British-made cars.
Labour eyes £1bn VAT raid on airport charges in stealth blow to family holidays
HMRC drafts plans to slap 20% VAT on airport landing fees, adding £1bn to airline costs and pushing up the price of UK family holidays — even as Reeves cuts VAT on days out.
Blame the system, not the school leavers for youth unemployment, says Amazon’s UK boss
Amazon UK chief John Boumphrey tells employers to stop blaming young people for record NEET numbers and calls for compulsory work experience for over-16s.
Potters win £120m rescue as government finally backs Britain’s ceramics heartland
The UK ceramics sector has secured a £120m government support package, split evenly between capital investment and operational relief, in a long-awaited win for Stoke-on-Trent’s pottery heartland.
Reeves serves up summer of savings with VAT cut on family days out
Chancellor Rachel Reeves slashes VAT from 20% to 5% on summer attractions, children’s meals and family days out, alongside a fuel duty freeze and supermarket tariff suspension to ease cost-of-living pressures.
Andrew trade envoy files: Queen ‘very keen’ ex-prince led UK plc abroad, Whitehall papers reveal
Whitehall releases the file on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s 2001 appointment as UK trade envoy, showing Queen Elizabeth II was ‘very keen’ he take the role — raising fresh questions for British exporters and SMEs.
HS2 reset to punch £33bn black hole in Britain’s public finances
HS2’s revamped budget could leave Britain with up to £33bn of unfunded spending as Heidi Alexander warns the project may cost taxpayers £102bn. What it means for SMEs and the wider economy.
Youth jobs in retreat: IFS warns Britain is sliding back to Covid-era lows
UK youth employment has fallen by 330,000 in three years, with the IFS warning the decline is closing in on Covid-era lows — and could scar a generation.
Private sector workers face worst real pay squeeze since 2022 as oil-driven inflation bites
Britain’s private sector workers are facing the worst hit to real incomes since 2022 as inflation outstrips earnings growth, a softening jobs market erodes bargaining power and the Bank of England weighs its next move.
Bags of Ethics chief and shipping carbon-capture pioneer crowned at 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards
Smruti Sriram OBE of Bags of Ethics wins the 2026 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award, with Seabound’s Alisha Fredriksson taking the Bold Future Award for slashing shipping emissions by up to 95 per cent
Taps could run dry without urgent action on drought, peers warn ministers
A House of Lords committee warns England’s water supply could fall 5bn litres a day short by 2055 unless ministers act now on drought, leakage and rainwater capture. What it means for SMEs, farmers and industry.
SpaceX lifts the veil on its finances as Musk readies the biggest flotation in stock market history
SpaceX has revealed its finances for the first time, posting $18.7bn revenue and a $4.9bn loss as Elon Musk readies what may be the biggest IPO ever.
Britain seals landmark Gulf trade deal in G7 first, promising £3.7bn lift for UK exporters
Britain becomes the first G7 country to sign a free trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council, a £3.7bn-a-year prize for UK exporters, carmakers and food producers.
















