Sun, 28 Sep 2025

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 Can Labour reverse 'desperate loss of faith' from business?

The government wants to keep the backing it won before the election, our business editor Simon Jack writes.
One business leader, John Caudwell, says that the last Budget, which included a £25bn rise in employers' National Insurance and a 6.7% hike in the National Living Wage, undid much of the goodwill built up before the election. Other small business owners have also expressed concerns about the government's policies, with some warning that they need to "move quickly" to restore business confidence. Official measures show a mixed picture, but anecdotal evidence suggests that business leaders are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the Labour government. A key test of the party's ability to win over business leaders will be at this year's Labour conference, where they will have to convince audiences who were previously supportive of their economic policies.
  >>