FINANCING BBB hands out £150m in loans for aspiring entrepreneurs City AM The British Business Bank has provided nearly £150m in loans to unemployed individuals since 2012, representing 22% of the government-backed start-up loans programme. The news coincides with the...

OUTLOOK Public sector productivity hits new low City AM Public sector productivity in the UK has fallen by 0.7% year on year, marking the steepest decline since late 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Healthcare productivity dropped by 1.5%,...

OUTLOOK Business confidence 'at rock bottom' The Daily Telegraph Business confidence is at a historic low, according to the Institute of Directors (IoD). The latest survey shows a reading of minus 73, slightly up from minus 74 in September. Anna Leach, chief economist...

OUTLOOK More firms face 'critical' distress City AM Daily Express Daily Mail The Times The number of UK businesses in 'critical' financial distress rose 78% year-on-year, reaching 55,530 in the third quarter, according to the Red Flag Alert report from Begbies...

OUTLOOK Small firms outline closure concerns The Times Thousands of small businesses could be at risk of closure due to declining revenues and rising tax bills, with a Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) survey of nearly 1,500 small business owners and sole traders...

TAX IFS: Income tax hike would help plug Budget gap The Independent The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that Chancellor Rachel Reeves may have to increase income tax or cut public spending to balance the Budget, suggesting that raising several smaller...

OUTLOOK Tax changes could cost 120,000 jobs The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail Retail and hospitality leaders have warned that Rachel Reeves’s proposed £1.7bn business rates overhaul could put 120,000 high street jobs at risk. The British Retail Consortium and UK...

OUTLOOK Start-ups warn of tax threat Sky News The Startup Coalition has warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves that imposing employers' National Insurance contributions on venture capital funds could jeopardise fund launches in the UK. Dom Hallas, executive director of the...

OUTLOOK UK dividends drop amid economic woes City AM UK dividends fell to £24.6bn in Q3, a 1.4% decrease from £25.6bn last year, according to Computershare's latest dividend monitor. Mark Cleland, CEO of Issuer Services in the UK at Computershare, attributed the...

OUTLOOK SME optimism falters amid rising costs City AM Small business optimism in the UK is declining due to persistent inflation, labour shortages, and rising borrowing costs. The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) reported a two-point drop in the...