A quarter of UK manufacturers have moved production overseas or are considering it, as Make UK warns that the highest energy costs in the world are driving deindustrialisation.
Category: News
The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK
Retailers warn De Minimis delay will turn Britain into a ‘dumping ground’ for unsafe goods
Retailers warn that delaying abolition of the £135 de minimis customs threshold until 2029 will cost more high street shops and let unsafe imports flood Britain as the US and EU tighten the rules.
NTIA backs Burnham for No 10 as night-time economy pleads for a VAT lifeline
The NTIA has thrown its weight behind Andy Burnham’s call to cut VAT on hospitality and the night-time economy, warning the sector cannot survive three more years of rising costs.
Founders and MPs warn Reeves that Britain’s tax system is telling entrepreneurs to leave
More than 90 business leaders and 19 MPs have written to Rachel Reeves warning that a “death by a thousand cuts” on tax is driving Britain’s founders abroad.
From the Bank of Dave to the boardroom of Citi: business builders honoured in King’s birthday honours 2026
From Bank of Dave founder David Fishwick to Citigroup chief Jane Fraser, we round up the entrepreneurs and business leaders recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours 2026.
“We are coming for you”: HMRC declares war on dodgy high street shops with 30,000 raids planned
HMRC will make more than 30,000 high street interventions in 2026/27, targeting vape shops, barbers and souvenir stores used as fronts for tax fraud and money laundering.
Small firms to pitch direct to Indian buyers as Great British Pitch returns with Downing Street backing
Great British Pitch India launches on 16 June, giving 40+ UK small businesses the chance to pitch live to Indian buyers, backed by the Chancellor and the DBT.
SpaceX shares rocket past listing price in historic stock market debut
SpaceX shares surged past their $135 IPO price to hit $150 on debut, as investors piled into Elon Musk’s $1.75tn space and satellite empire. But can the gains last?
Frasers Group launches £1.7bn bid to take full control of Hugo Boss
Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has tabled a £1.7bn cash offer of €38 a share for the 74% of German fashion house Hugo Boss it does not already own.
Reeves signals further tax rises as defence spending plan slips again
Rachel Reeves has hinted taxes may rise again to fund a £15bn defence uplift, as Keir Starmer delays the Defence Investment Plan until just before the NATO summit.
Strike days fall by almost two thirds during Labour’s first year in power
Working days lost to strikes fell from 1.4 million to 559,000 in Labour’s first year in power, GMB analysis of ONS data shows, a drop of more than 60 per cent.
Car finance payouts pushed back to 2027 as legal challenges stall £9bn redress scheme
FCA warns £9bn car finance mis-selling payouts, averaging £829 across 12.1 million agreements, are unlikely before 2027 as carmakers mount legal challenges.
Amazon pours £1bn into Northamptonshire as 4,000 jobs head to the East Midlands
Amazon opens a £500m robotic fulfilment centre in Northampton and confirms the UK’s largest cross-dock facility for Kettering, taking its Northamptonshire investment past £1bn and creating 4,000 jobs.
WH Smith turns to investors for £100m lifeline as US slowdown and Middle East conflict trigger profit warning
WH Smith is raising £100m through a share placing after cutting profit guidance, blaming a US sales slump and fallout from the US-Iran conflict.
£28bn of taxpayers’ money ended up funding Britain’s enemies dossier reveals
A suppressed Cabinet Office dossier found £28bn of UK aid and Covid relief reached Islamic State, Russia, China-linked firms and crime gangs between 2015 and 2021. Here’s what it means for taxpayers.
