Business news 20 October 2025

UK businesses warn tax hikes could hit jobs and investment as insolvencies climb to 30-year highs. Developers, retailers, and manufacturers all urge the Chancellor to change course ahead of the November Budget..

James Salmon, Operations Director.

Headcount pressures

More than half of UK businesses say they will cut jobs or freeze recruitment if taxes rise in next month’s Budget. An ICAEW survey found 56% would reduce headcount and 39% would slash investment. The warning highlights mounting frustration among SMEs that higher taxes and borrowing costs are stifling growth.
ICAEW chief Alan Vallance said firms “trying to deliver growth are being held back.” Labour’s fiscal plans are now seen as the biggest threat to the private sector since the pandemic.

Developers warn of ‘viability crisis’

The British Property Federation has urged the Chancellor to reinstate multiple dwellings relief and scrap new waste-disposal taxes that could add £50,000 to the cost of building a home.
Industry leaders say the proposed 3,000% landfill tax increase would jeopardise housing delivery and threaten the Government’s target of 1.5 million new homes by 2030.

Construction & energy jobs boom

Government data show the transition to clean energy could create over 400,000 new jobs by the end of the decade, particularly in the East of England and Scotland.
Projects such as Sizewell C and carbon-capture hubs will drive demand for skilled trades, with the number of plumbers and carpenters needing to double and welders to triple by 2030.

Corporate distress at 30-year high

Corporate insolvencies reached 2,000 in September, the highest level since the mid-1990s. Analysts warn that any new tax rises could push vulnerable firms over the edge.
Sectors most at risk include hospitality, construction, and logistics — areas where margins are already thin and consumer confidence remains weak.

Personal insolvency rates rise

The Insolvency Service reported that 11,101 individuals entered insolvency in England and Wales in September this year, a 7% increase from 2024. This included 622 bankruptcies, 3,985 debt relief orders (DROs), and 6,494 individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs). Although DRO numbers fell by 5% from August 2025, they remain historically high.

Brexit drag

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned that Brexit would continue to hamper economic growth for the foreseeable future due to restricted access to trade resulting from the UK’s departure from the EU. Speaking at a meeting of central bankers in Washington, DC, Bailey explained that although he took no position on Brexit politically, as a public official he recognised that “for the foreseeable future it is negative, but over a longer time there should be a positive, albeit partial, counterbalance.”

Inheritance and pension tax backlash

Plans to tax inherited pension pots at 40% have triggered alarm from financial experts. Former minister Baroness Altmann called the move “a disaster,” warning that some widows could be left without income during probate.
Meanwhile, farming and rural groups remain furious over the decision not to adjust inheritance-tax thresholds, calling it “a blow to family farms and food security.”

Tech: iPhone 17 outsells predecessor

Apple’s new iPhone 17 series has sold 14% more units in its first 10 days than the iPhone 16, according to Counterpoint Research. The surge shows continued consumer demand despite high interest rates and falling real incomes.

AWS outage hits major apps

An Amazon Web Services outage disrupted Snapchat, Duolingo, and Roblox early Monday, with AWS confirming “increased error rates and latencies” in its US-East-1 region.
The incident underscores the dependence of global digital infrastructure on a small number of providers — a concern for SMEs hosting data or payment systems in the cloud.

Markets snapshot

Equities:

  • The FTSE 100 opened up 0.5% at 9,396.84, led by banks rebounding after last week’s sell-off.
  • The Stoxx 600 gained 0.8%, helped by corporate moves including Kering’s beauty division sale.
  • In the US, banking stocks remain volatile after regional lenders disclosed bad loans.

Commodities:

  • Oil faces a bearish outlook, with record tanker inventories pushing expectations toward the $50s per barrel.
  • Natural gas prices steady below €32/MWh; Norwegian flows to the UK up 10 mcm/day.
  • Gold slipped 1.7% Friday — its sharpest fall since May.

Currencies:

  • The euro hit its lowest since 2022 ($1.0335) on weak PMI data and rate-cut bets.
  • The pound slipped below 1.15 against the euro amid banking-sector jitters.
  • Hedge funds now hold $18 bn in long dollar positions ahead of the US election.

Key Themes:
The dominant themes since Friday have been:

Banking sector recovery – After concerns about US regional lenders sparked sell-offs, banking shares rebounded on Monday
US-China trade optimism – Renewed hopes for trade talks helped lift market sentiment
Euro weakness – The single currency hit multi-year lows amid ECB rate cut expectations
Oil market bearishness – Expectations for crude to fall into the $50s range due to oversupply

★ CPA Insight

With business sentiment fragile and insolvencies rising, SME owners trading on credit should prepare for slower payments and higher risk through year-end.
Now is the time to tighten credit control and ensure your collections partner is proactive, transparent, and aligned with your cashflow goals.

Join the Credit Protection Association today and get expert support in managing overdue debts — before the next tax rise bites.

Just call Peter Uwins, CPA’s National Sales Manager, on ️ 020 8846 0000 (business hours) or email nsm@cpa.co.uk today.

When you see your money come in, you will be so glad you used CPA.

The Credit Protection Association – Prompting Punctual Payments – Ethical, Effective, Efficient, Economical collections.

Insolvency round-up (16 – 20 October 2025)

Appointments of Administrators

  • APEXBROOK LIMITED
  • FRANK ROBERTS & SONS LIMITED
  • GOLDPLAZA (MITCHAM) LIMITED
  • HUMAN MAGIC LTD
  • OAKTREE POWER GROUP LIMITED
  • RILEY PERSONNEL LIMITED
  • SOUTH COAST WATCH FAIR LIMITED
  • VELO BICI LTD

Appointments of Liquidators

  • ABBOTTS ANN FARMING LIMITED
  • ABHIRUSH LIMITED
  • AZAC CASTLEROCK LIMITED
  • BARBARA STURM LIMITED
  • BH INNOVATION CONSULTANT LTD
  • BROADWAY INNS LIMITED
  • BUFFALO ASSOCIATES LIMITED
  • C. R. TOOGOOD (HOLDINGS) LIMITED
  • CHARTERHOUSE CONSULTANCY LIMITED
  • CRITICAL POWER SOLUTIONS UK LTD
  • DEBUTFAST LIMITED
  • DJE PROJECT SERVICES LIMITED
  • EDGE HYDRO INVESTMENTS LTD
  • FINSOFT CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED
  • FIVE H INVESTMENTS LTD
  • GANDER HOLDINGS LTD
  • HOCHOYS LIMITED
  • HUMBERSTON MOTORS LIMITED
  • INFRACAPITAL (NOVOS) GP LIMITED
  • INTER / WORK (GMS) LIMITED
  • JP HOUGHTON PROJECTS LIMITED
  • LOTTIE RADFORD LIMITED
  • MATHARU MEDICAL SERVICES LTD
  • NASHEWRING LTD
  • OXFORD OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY LIMITED
  • PARINI LIMITED
  • PAV PRODUCTIONS LIMITED
  • PBSG INVESTMENT LTD
  • PPNL SPV B63 LIMITED
  • PORTLAND RESOURCING LIMITED
  • ROBINSON SERVICES LAUNDRY LTD
  • ROBINSON SERVICES LTD
  • SAGE ASSOCIATES LIMITED
  • SANDRINGHAM HOTEL LIMITED
  • SJT MANAGEMENT LTD
  • SKYTAP UK LTD
  • SWORD SECURITY (N.I.) LTD
  • TALZA LIMITED
  • TAYLAC FIRE MANAGEMENT LTD
  • TM IT CONSULANTS LIMITED
  • ZAP DEVELOPMENT HOLDINGS LTD
  • ZERLINA LTD

Petitions to Wind Up (Companies)

  • BDY SERVICES LTD
  • BESPOKE GLASS PRODUCTS LTD
  • BLESSINGTON PROPERTY LIMITED
  • CARLYLE CONSULTING LIMITED
  • CAP ENERGY PLC
  • CHA CHA CHA RESTAURANTS LTD
  • COLLABORATIVE LONDON DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED
  • EMAYE LTD
  • FOOD2GOOO LIMITED
  • FIRTREES FARM LIMITED
  • GATO TRADING LIMITED
  • GOSACO CONSULTING LTD
  • INVESTOR CONFERENCES (UK) LIMITED
  • KS VISION SERVICES LTD
  • LEXEN CONTRACTORS LTD
  • LONG CRENDON MANOR ESTATES LTD
  • MARCHMONT HOMES LIMITED
  • MATRIX STRUCTURES LIMITED
  • NTL BIOLOGICA LIMITED
  • OXFORD OILS LTD
  • PC HOLDINGS (WAKEFIELD) LIMITED
  • SRZ BUILDS LTD
  • THE FAMOUS OF CHELTENHAM LTD
  • THE PLATFORM LIVERPOOL LIMITED
  • UNIVERSAL CATERING LTD
  • WOOTZANO LIMITED