Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Will back small business growth: Rachel Reeves

Reeves aims to address the funding gap for small businesses, which impacts the economy by hundreds of billions of pounds annually.

Will back small business growth: Rachel Reeves

RACHEL Reeves will pledge support for small businesses and drive up investment during a summit on Wednesday evening.

Speaking to CEOs, investors, and founders, the chancellor will emphasise her personal commitment to helping businesses succeed.


She is expected to say, "You’ve got a friend in me, and in the Treasury I run. We will do all we can to see you succeed."

This meeting follows the International Investment Summit, which secured £63 billion in investment commitments, creating nearly 38,000 jobs.

Reeves aims to address the funding gap for small businesses, which impacts the economy by hundreds of billions of pounds annually.

She will highlight the Treasury’s role in partnering with entrepreneurs to foster an environment conducive to growth.

The chancellor will also underline the UK’s openness to business, stating, "Yesterday’s summit makes it clear that the UK is open for business, and it is open to business."

A key focus of the event is the Invest in Women Taskforce, which is working to establish one of the world’s largest investment funding pools for female founders, worth over £250 million.

An independent review found that if women started businesses at the same rate as men, it could add £250 billion to the UK economy.

Small business leaders, including Alex Kendall of Wayve, Benjamina Bollag from Uncommon, and Dom Hallas from the Startup Coalition, will attend.

The event follows a series of pro-business announcements, including a Corporate Tax Roadmap, a cap on Corporation Tax at 25 per cent for the current parliament, and £80 billion of investment through the National Wealth Fund.

Additionally, 40 per cent relief on business rates for eligible film studios in England has been confirmed from April 2024 until 2034 to support the film and TV industry.

More For You

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

Workers are engaged at their sewing stations in a garment factory in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on April 9, 2025. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Bangladesh seeks US deal to shield garment industry from tariffs

BANGLADESH, the world's second-biggest garment manufacturer, aims to strike a trade deal with the US before Donald Trump's punishing tariffs kick in next week, said the country's top commerce official.

Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, which Trump used as the reason for imposing painful levies in his "Liberation Day" announcement.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Indian exporters watch closely as Trump says trade deal with India likely

THE US could reach a trade deal with India that would help American companies compete more easily in the Indian market and reduce tariff rates, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. However, he cast doubt on a similar deal with Japan.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said he believed India was ready to lower trade barriers, potentially paving the way for an agreement that would avoid the 26 per cent tariff rate he had announced on April 2 and paused until July 9.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

Customers shop for 'Kolhapuri' sandals, an Indian ethnic footwear, at a store in New Delhi, India, June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Kolhapuri sandal sales surge in India post Prada controversy

INDIAN footwear sellers and artisans are tapping into nationalist pride stoked by the Prada 'sandal scandal' in a bid to boost sales of ethnic slippers with history dating back to the 12th century, raising hopes of reviving a struggling craft.

Sales are surging over the past week for the 'Kolhapuri' sandals that have garnered global attention after Prada sparked a controversy by showcasing similar designs in Milan, without initially crediting the footwear's origins.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK business district
The Canary Wharf business district including global financial institutions in London.
Getty Images

Economy grew 0.7 per cent in Q1 2025, fastest in a year

THE UK economy expanded at its fastest pace in a year during the first quarter of 2025, driven by a rise in home purchases ahead of a tax deadline and higher manufacturing output before the introduction of new US import tariffs.

Gross domestic product rose by 0.7 per cent in the January-to-March period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, confirming its earlier estimate. This was the strongest quarterly growth since the first quarter of 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less
modi-trump-getty
Trump shakes hands with Modi during a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

Key issues in India, US trade talks

TRADE talks between India and the US have hit a roadblock over disagreements on duties for auto components, steel and farm goods, Indian government sources said to Reuters, dashing hopes of reaching an interim deal ahead of president Donald Trump's July 9 deadline to impose reciprocal tariffs.

Here are the key issues at play:

Keep ReadingShow less