The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK as it happens smart incisive news for agile business| Business Matters
Gary Grant will transfer 100% ownership of The Entertainer to its 1,900 employees via an employee trust, joining a growing list of major UK brands moving to staff ownership.| Business Matters
HMRC has confirmed for the first time it uses AI to monitor social media in criminal tax probes, prompting MPs to warn of risks to privacy and potential “Horizon-type” errors.| Business Matters
Pasta Evangelists will invest £30m with franchise partners to open 100 restaurants in five years, creating 1,500 jobs and launching a potential ‘Pasta Apprenticeship’ scheme.| Business Matters
Poundland will shut 49 more UK branches by mid-September – with 10 closing today – as part of new owner Gordon Brothers’ plan to slim the chain by nearly 70 stores.| Business Matters
Anthony Thomson is launching Family Offices Bank in Jersey to serve ultra-wealthy clients with $30m+ in assets, aiming for 2,000 customers and a $10bn balance sheet by 2030.| Business Matters
Nigel Farage’s hardline climate policies risk alienating younger Reform UK supporters, as polling shows a growing rift over net zero and renewable energy investment.| Business Matters
Jamie is a seasoned business journalist and Senior Reporter at Business Matters| Business Matters
Melrose CEO Peter Dilnot has overtaken AstraZeneca’s Pascal Soriot as the UK’s highest-paid FTSE 100 boss after a £45m payout, fuelling fresh debate over executive pay gaps.| Business Matters
Finance experts warn Britons to prepare for targeted tax changes on pensions, property and investment assets ahead of Rachel Reeves’ autumn Budget as the Treasury faces a £50bn shortfall.| Business Matters
From April 2026, self-employed workers and landlords earning over £50,000 must file quarterly digital tax returns to HMRC or risk fines of up to £900, plus further penalties.| Business Matters
The DVLA will launch mobile driving licences via the new GOV.UK Wallet app this year, allowing motorists to prove their identity and age from their smartphones.| Business Matters
Parents paid over £500m in advance private school fees to avoid VAT, far exceeding Treasury forecasts and prompting claims Rachel Reeves misjudged the scale of the response.| Business Matters
A former waiter is taking The Ivy to an employment tribunal, claiming he was unfairly allocated tips and service charges despite new laws on fair and transparent distribution.| Business Matters
Richard Tice has told UK energy bosses there is “no democratic mandate” for net zero, vowing that a Reform government would prioritise nuclear and gas over renewables.| Business Matters
Jeremy Clarkson says Britain faces a “catastrophic” harvest due to extreme weather, as farmers warn drought and rising costs could push many agricultural businesses to the brink.| Business Matters
HSBC has signed a 15-year lease for new offices in Canary Wharf after a shortage of desks at its future City HQ forced the bank to rethink plans to leave the Docklands.| Business Matters