News

               Small suppliers, long beleaguered by overdue invoice payments and long payment terms in their contracts with customers are waking up this morning to an announcement that Government is to

               High youth unemployment is hitting the headlines and it’s not just a short‑term labour‑market issue. It is a strategic economic threat that will shape the UK’s productivity, fiscal health,

               Nearly 9 in 10 entrepreneurs think the Government doesn’t understand their needs and a fifth of them want to leave the UK in the next 12 months. How bad

               The Bank of England is ruminating on interest rates and is expected to announce around midday that rates will stay at their current rate 3.75% Last month there was

               Britain’s traditional jewellers — long the glittering anchors of our high streets — are quietly disappearing as rising costs, falling footfall and online competition squeeze the small craft businesses

               Britain could be sleepwalking into a youth jobs crisis just as new employment reforms take effect, with retailers warning that rules designed to protect workers may end up pricing

               The warning lights for Britain’s small businesses are beginning to flash. Conflict in the Middle East is already pushing up fuel prices, threatening fertiliser supplies and setting off a

               High Street shops are increasingly accepting only card or phone payments, taking security, costs and the way customers are behaving into account. This comes from research among small businesses

            While ministers hail G7-leading growth, fresh small business data shows slowing sales, cautious hiring and mounting pressure on retail and hospitality margins. What’s really going on in the small

            Traditional networking events may still fill diaries, but growing evidence suggests that authentic, relationship-driven connections — not transactional handshakes — are what truly unlock long-term business opportunity.If you’re a

            The Chancellor spoke of stability and growth, but with confidence falling, costs rising and global turmoil intensifying, many small businesses fear the economic reality has already overtaken the promises.

            Business confidence is a fickle thing. The latest index from the IoD (Institute of Directors) shows that the confidence figure in February was -63, having risen in Jan to

            The Supreme Court said no to the way Trump’s tariffs were implemented when he became President but there’s ways around that ruling and so 15% tariffs are being reinstated.

            We can’t afford to have almost 1 million young people out of work but small businesses can no longer afford to employ them. This is a structural issue, it’s

            There is some welcome relief on energy bills — but only if you’re a household. From April, the Energy Price Cap will cut typical domestic energy bills by around

              The Government is promising an extra £1bn of lending for small and medium-sized businesses over the next five years, unveiled by the Small Business Minister as part of

            It’s been an interesting day as far as opinions about business are concerned. In the blue corner we have a new consortium of entrepreneurs calling on the Government to

            Walk down almost any high street and you can see the strain. Chocolate bars locked in cabinets, empty shelves where shops used to trade, and owners working longer hours

            The Chancellor is popping the champagne over a surprise £30bn tax windfall, but out on the high street and in workshops across the country, small business owners are counting

            When you’re grappling with cashflow, customers and compliance, insurance probably isn’t at the top of your agenda as a small business owner. It’s in the “tomorrow” pile. It’s often

            Britain is starting businesses at a healthy clip, but it’s not creating jobs to match. New firms are launching at the fastest rate in two years, yet unemployment is

            In this GB News interview on 18 February 2026, Liz Barclay warns that falling inflation does not mean falling pressure for the UK’s small and micro businesses. While the

            Inflation Falls, Unemployment Rises – And Small Businesses Are Still Paying the Price On paper, this week’s economic figures look like progress. Inflation is easing, wages are rising and