Despite disturbances in the commercial Force, such as Brexit or US tariffs, the UK is fundamentally a trading nation, buying and selling goods and services all around the world. Indeed, those sorts of disruptions mean that British businesses are constantly having to deal with new stakeholders in new markets. This creates a quite different set of risks from relationships within
Much of the economic focus so far this year has been on the tariff chaos cascading from the White House, but with the passing of the latest trade talks deadline at the beginning of August it may be that calmer financial geopolitics lie ahead. The UK remains very much a favoured-nation with its overall rate of 10% compared to higher
Each month we publish a report into the financial fortunes of one of the major sectors in the UK economy, covering in turn retail, hospitality, construction, manufacturing and logistics amongst others. This gives us a view of the economic weather in each industry on a broadly bi-annual basis. Over the past two to three years most of these sectors have
It’s been difficult for some months now to focus on anything other than the geopolitical mayhem emanating from the White House, whether it is the shilly-shallying over tariffs or the apparently empty rhetoric about the endlessly imminent solution of the many vicious conflicts around the world. The degree to which utterly extraordinary events have become normalised is an astonishing development,
The 2024 Autumn Budget had significant implications for UK businesses, introducing a wide range of cost increases effective from April 2025. As organisations across sectors grapple with an uncertain economic landscape, these changes are being felt at every level, from small enterprises to large multinationals. The key measures in the Autumn Budget The major provisions of the Budget affecting the business
The Government’s flagship Employment Rights Bill (ERB) legislation radically reforming workers’ rights and employers’ obligations is still going through Parliamentary scrutiny and revision. Many of its most contentious measures will not come into effect until some as undefined date in 2027. Yet it’s fundamental importance to the business community and the UK economy are plain to see from the ongoing
