Founders and advisers warn the latest hike in Business Asset Disposal Relief to 18% is squeezing entrepreneurs and pushing Britain’s homegrown talent abroad.
Category: News
The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK
Britain to ‘flirt’ with recession as Iran oil shock rattles SMEs
Soaring energy costs and fractured supply chains are set to tip Britain to the edge of a technical recession by the summer, with smaller businesses bearing the brunt of the squeeze, according to the Item Club’s latest forecast.
Craft Gin Club teeters on brink as Dragons’ Den darling pleads with bondholders
Sarah Willingham-backed Craft Gin Club warns of administration unless lenders approve a CVA wiping £4.2m of debt and ending free gin deliveries to bondholders.
Meta to axe 8,000 jobs in May as Zuckerberg bets the house on AI
Meta is preparing to cut roughly 10% of its global workforce from May, with further redundancies later in 2026, as Mark Zuckerberg pours hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence.
Hormuz reopens: what Iran’s climbdown means for British SMEs
Iran has reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, sending crude below $92 and driving UK 10-year gilt yields to a week’s low. Here’s what it means for British SMEs.
Finance chiefs sound alarm over Anthropic’s ‘mythos’ AI model amid cyber-security fears
Finance ministers, central bankers and Barclays’ chief executive warn that Anthropic’s new Mythos AI model could expose critical vulnerabilities in the world’s financial systems.
Seres files patent for voice-activated in-car toilet as china’s EV makers battle for attention
Chongqing-based EV manufacturer Seres has patented a voice-controlled in-vehicle toilet, as Chinese carmakers pile on novel features to survive a brutal price war.
Tesco urges ministers to ease cost burden as Iran conflict clouds outlook
Tesco chief Ken Murphy urges ministers to ease tax and energy costs as the grocer posts an 8.5% profit rise and widens guidance amid the Iran conflict.
Desmond’s £1.3bn National Lottery battle collapses as High Court sides with Gambling Commission
Richard Desmond’s £1.3bn damages claim against the Gambling Commission over the fourth National Lottery licence awarded to Allwyn has been dismissed by the High Court.
Government calls on EdTech firms to build safe AI tutors for disadvantaged pupils
The UK government is inviting EdTech firms and AI labs to bid for £300,000 grants to co-design safe, curriculum-aligned AI tutoring tools for up to 450,000 disadvantaged pupils a year, with classroom trials starting this summer.
GMB union attacks government for ‘disgracefully ignoring’ UK’s gas-intensive manufacturers
Ceramics and brickmakers left out in the cold as GMB rounds on Whitehall’s flagship industrial package
Europe faces jet fuel crunch as gulf supply crisis deepens
Europe has just six weeks of jet fuel left as Strait of Hormuz closure hits supplies, warns the IEA. Airlines face soaring costs and potential flight cancellations.
Supermarket shelves face summer gaps as Iran war threatens UK’s CO2 lifeline
Whitehall drafts emergency plans as the ongoing Iran conflict threatens UK carbon dioxide supplies, with potential knock-on effects for meat producers, brewers and SME food businesses this summer.
Britain’s first major AI data centre sparks net zero clash as gas power plans revealed
Britain’s first nationally significant AI data centre at Wapseys Wood would be powered by a gas turbine, fuelling concern that the UK’s AI ambitions are clashing with climate goals.
UK economy surged before Iran conflict but stagflation now looms for Britain’s SMEs
UK GDP grew 0.5% in February, beating forecasts, but the Iran conflict threatens British SMEs with stagflation as energy costs soar and the IMF slashes growth forecasts.
