The British Retail Consortium warns Britain is heading for a jobless generation, with £6.5bn in extra labour costs forcing retailers to freeze hiring and shut young people out of work. Read the full Business Matters analysis.
Category: News
The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK
TGJones owner Modella Capital to shut up to 150 former WHSmith high street shops
Modella Capital is to close up to 150 of the 480 former WHSmith high street shops trading as TGJones, putting hundreds of jobs at risk in a fresh restructuring plan.
Amazon’s drones touch down in Darlington in UK delivery first
Amazon has quietly opened a new front in the battle for ultra-fast delivery, becoming the first retailer in Britain to drop parcels by drone after a limited launch in Darlington, County Durham.
King’s Awards crown Britain’s small business heroes on 60th anniversary
The King’s Awards for Enterprise 2026 honour 186 UK businesses including Little Soap Company, RYSE 3D and Edinburgh Remakery, as the prestigious accolade marks its 60th anniversary year.
Gilt yields hit 28-year peak as Starmer’s grip slips and SMEs brace for the bill
UK 30-year gilt yields surge to a 28-year high amid fears of a Labour leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer. We examine what soaring borrowing costs and looming rate rises mean for Britain’s small and medium-sized businesses.
UK businesses brace for jet fuel rationing as Goldman Sachs warns of ‘critical’ supply crunch
Goldman Sachs warns the UK is Europe’s most exposed economy to a jet fuel crisis, with rationing looming as Strait of Hormuz closure hits airlines, SMEs and travel costs.
British Business Bank pledges £1m to close gender funding gap through Angel Academe partnership
British Business Bank invests £1m alongside Angel Academe to back female-led UK startups, tackling the venture capital gender gap where women receive under 2% of VC funding.
Government commits £46.5m to fast-track drone industry and tackle rogue operators
The UK Government has unveiled a £46.5m package to accelerate drone deliveries, flying taxis and a new drone ID system, in a sector tipped to contribute £103bn to the economy by 2050.
Over-50s frozen out: Labour’s workers’ rights reforms backfire as older jobseekers hit record high
Nearly one million workers aged 50 and over are now struggling to find employment, with experts warning that the Employment Rights Act, higher National Insurance contributions and a softening jobs market have combined to make Britain’s older workforce the chief casualty of the Government’s flagship reforms.
HMRC loses landmark £584,000 tax battle as referees ruled self-employed
HMRC has been defeated in the landmark £584,000 PGMOL employment status case, with a tribunal ruling football referees were genuinely self-employed — casting fresh doubt over the tax office’s CEST tool.
Reeves’s pay-per-mile EV tax ‘could cost Treasury £4.8bn’, industry coalition warns
A powerful alliance of trade bodies has cautioned that the Chancellor’s flagship electric vehicle excise duty risks derailing Britain’s clean transport transition — and leaving a multi-billion-pound hole in the public finances along the way.
Last orders: two pubs a day shut as Labour’s tax raid bites
British Beer and Pub Association warns that the system places a “heavy and uneven burden” on locals, with 161 closures in the first quarter alone costing 2,400 jobs.
Gamestop tables shock $55.5bn swoop for eBay as Cohen sets sights on Amazon
GameStop has launched a surprise $55.5bn cash-and-stock bid for eBay, with chief executive Ryan Cohen vowing to turn the marketplace into a credible challenger to Amazon. Analysts are sceptical.
Natwest profits jump to £2bn as Iran conflict drives mortgage rates higher
NatWest reports £2bn quarterly profit, beating forecasts and raising 2026 guidance as the Iran conflict pushes mortgage rates and net interest margins higher.
Whisky tariffs lifted as Trump hails royal state visit
Britain’s distillers have been handed an unexpected fillip after Donald Trump announced the removal of all US tariffs and restrictions on whisky imports, a concession the president attributed directly to the influence of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s four-day state visit to America.
