The government’s £5bn Pride in Place programme will give 169 towns long-term regeneration funding — with local businesses set to benefit from new contracts, higher footfall and the economic revival of high streets and public spaces.
Category: In Business
Advice on growing your small and medium sized business, SME, in the UK. Hiring and managing staff and finance plus marketing all on one website
Six university start-ups named as finalists for Ignite 2025 social enterprise competition
Six social entrepreneurs from UK universities have been announced as finalists for Ignite 2025, the Ford Family Foundation’s flagship competition supporting purpose-led start-ups with a £50,000 prize pot.
Department for Education ramps up AI and data training as part of UK government digital skills drive
The Department for Education has spent over £170,000 on AI, data and digital training in three years as 70% of UK government bodies pilot or plan to use artificial intelligence.
HMRC has stepped up its campaign to expand the scope of ‘confectionery’ under VAT law – and the courts are backing them
HMRC is reclassifying more sweet products as confectionery under VAT rules, hitting producers, wholesalers and retailers with 20% tax liabilities. Here’s what it means for UK food businesses.
MIT report: 95% of corporate generative AI pilots are failing
A new MIT report finds that 95% of corporate generative AI pilots are failing to show measurable business impact, as most companies struggle with integration and misallocate resources — widening the gap with agile startups.
JLR loan support failing to reach SME suppliers quickly enough, warn industry experts
Cash from JLR’s £1.5m government-backed loan is not filtering down supply chains fast enough, with smaller automotive suppliers at risk of collapse without urgent funding.
Tax burden and capital barriers drive decline in Britain’s female entrepreneurs
The number of women-led SMEs in the UK has plunged to 14%, down from 19% in 2021. Experts warn taxation, lack of investment, and bias in funding are forcing female entrepreneurs out, costing the economy billions.
Britain’s business backlash: CEOs warn Reeves’s tax hikes are pushing UK to the brink
Britain’s biggest business leaders — from BT and JD Sports to AO World and Rick Stein — are warning Rachel Reeves’s tax hikes and labour laws are crippling investment, driving out wealth and pushing the UK toward recession.
Co-op hack wipes out £80m of profits as cybercrime surge hits UK businesses
The Co-op has revealed a cyberattack wiped out £80m in profits and cost £206m in revenues, disrupting stores and funerals in one of Britain’s biggest corporate hacks.
Cornwall icon Rick Stein hit by Reeves’s tax hike as hospitality jobs vanish
Rick Stein’s Cornwall restaurant empire has plunged into deeper losses, blaming Rachel Reeves’s tax raid on employers as hospitality jobs vanish.
Gold hits record high as analysts predict $4,000 milestone by Christmas
Gold has surged to an all-time high of $3,778 per ounce, with analysts warning it could hit $4,000 by Christmas. Silver has also soared 45% this year amid inflation and geopolitical uncertainty.
Reeves tax raid to ‘drive unemployment up to five-year high’
UK unemployment is forecast to climb to 4.9% in 2026, the highest level since 2021, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces mounting pressure to plug a £50bn fiscal gap with further tax hikes.
UK falls to sixth in global innovation rankings as rivals surge ahead
Britain has dropped to sixth place in the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Global Innovation Index, with South Korea and China climbing the rankings. Science minister Lord Vallance pledges to reverse the decline.
Millions of Brits to use generative AI for Christmas gift shopping in 2025
Coveo research reveals 71% of Brits plan to use generative AI to help with Christmas shopping this year—double 2024’s figure—as consumers seek inspiration, deals and budgeting support.
TikTok tops list of most scraped websites as AI training reshapes data priorities
Decodo’s 2025 Most Scraped Websites report shows TikTok has surged to the top spot with 321% traffic growth, highlighting how multimodal AI training is driving a shift toward video-first platforms.
