The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK
The UK economy shrank by 0.1% in October as services stalled and construction output fell, with economists blaming pre-Budget uncertainty and weakening business confidence.
GoCardless has agreed a £920m sale to Dutch payments firm Mollie, triggering a major payday for founders Hiroki Takeuchi and Tom Blomfield and marking one of…
FOI data reveals the OBR faced 238,678 cyber attacks this year — up 162% — as a misconfigured WordPress system led to the Chancellor’s Budget leaking…
The APPG on Investment Fraud and Fairer Financial Services has elected new officers, including chair John McDonnell MP, and outlined major priorities for 2026 focused on…
The UK live events sector has urged the Prime Minister to review Business Rates changes, warning hundreds of venues could close and ticket prices rise as…
Think tank IPPR says falling gilt yields show Rachel Reeves has restored market confidence, easing the UK’s risk premium and potentially saving taxpayers up to £7bn…
Goldman Sachs International co-head Kunal Shah says UK policy uncertainty, higher taxes and new employment rules are undermining SME confidence despite strong underlying optimism among entrepreneurs.
US defence start-up Anduril plans to manufacture advanced autonomous fighter drones on the Isle of Wight with GKN Aerospace as part of a £100m British Army…
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reportedly preparing a $1.5tn IPO for 2026—set to rival Saudi Aramco’s record listing—as the rocket maker expands Starlink, boosts launch capacity and…
The Trump administration plans to force all foreign tourists—including those from visa-waiver countries—to provide five years of social media history, emails and phone numbers before entering…
Frasers Group, owned by Mike Ashley, has acquired Swindon’s Designer Outlet — a top UK retail destination attracting over 3 million visitors a year — reinforcing…
The Invest in Women Taskforce has hit £635m in commitments and confirmed new anchor partners — Nationwide and the British Business Bank — for the targeted…
The UK government has unveiled a £725m reform package to create 50,000 new apprenticeships, fully fund under-25 training at SMEs, and launch new digital and AI-focused…
Iceland boss Richard Walker is set to become a Labour peer in a major political shift, strengthening Keir Starmer’s ties with UK business. The former Conservative…
Major UK arenas including The O2, Co-op Live and Manchester Arena face steep business rates rises after 2026 valuations soared by up to 300%, new analysis…