Business confidence ‘at two-year low’ as tax hikes loom
More than half of private sector firms are planning price hikes to help offset looming tax increases announced in the chancellor’s first budget , according to a corporate lobby group.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) warned business confidence was at its lowest level since the market meltdown that followed the Conservatives’ mini budget of autumn 2022.
Its survey of almost 5,000 firms found worries about tax stood at levels not seen since 2017.
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Labour had fought a growth-focused election on the back of an improved working relationship with business but there was a widespread sense of shock when the 30 October budget put businesses on the hook for the bulk of £40bn of tax increases.
The new government argued the hikes were necessary to lock in long overdue investment in public services due to an alleged black hole in the public finances inherited from the Tories.
But companies widely warned the higher costs, from measures such as higher employer National Insurance contributions and National Living Wage increases from April, would be passed on to customers and hit wage growth, employment and investment.
At a time when the Bank of England is struggling to cut interest rates due to stubborn cost pressures in the economy, there will be concern among policymakers over the threat posed by potential business price hikes ahead.
The BCC survey found 55% of companies were planning to raise their own sales costs.
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Such a move would threaten further upwards pressure on inflation while weak business confidence will also do little to lift the economy out of the doldrums witnessed during the second half of 2024 when government warnings of a “tough” budget ahead were widely blamed for hitting sentiment.
Financial markets currently see just a 60% chance of a Bank rate cut at the next meeting in a month’s time.
BCC director general Shevaun Haviland said: “The worrying reverberations of the budget are clear to see in our survey data. Businesses’ confidence has slumped in a pressure cooker of rising costs and taxes.
“Firms of all shapes and sizes are telling us the national insurance hike is particularly damaging. Businesses are already cutting back on investment and say they will have to put up prices in the coming months.
“The government is rightly coming up with long-term strategies on industry, infrastructure and trade. But those plans won’t help businesses struggling now.
“Business stands ready to work in partnership to make the proposed Employment Rights legislation work for all, but the current plans will add further costs on firms.”
The BCC said the government could help firms absorb the additional pressures in areas such as business rates reform and through infrastructure investment.
A Treasury spokesperson said in response: “We delivered a once in a parliament budget to wipe the slate clean and deliver the stability businesses so desperately need.
“We have ensured more than half of employers will either see a cut or no change in their National Insurance bills, and by capping the rate of corporation tax at the lowest level in the G7, creating pension megafunds and establishing a National Wealth Fund, we are bringing back political and financial stability, creating the conditions for economic growth through investment and reform.
“This is just the start of our Plan for Change which will unlock investment, get Britain building via planning reform, and employ a modern Industrial Strategy to deliver the certainty and stability businesses need to invest in the UK’s growing and high potential sectors. This will make all parts of the country better off.”
The UK’s power grid operator has issued a call for electricity providers to bolster output this evening to avert the risk of blackouts.
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) issued an alert “to encourage market actions to increase system margins”.
It was the first such precautionary measure of the winter to date and issued at a time when much of the UK is shivering under sub-zero temperatures.
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The NESO is worried about a lack of spare capacity in the grid from 4pm until 7pm due to “system constraints”.
The body, which is in public control having been part of National Grid until last autumn, said in an update that it was seeking 1,200 megawatts (MW) of power as part of the so-called system margin notice.
Such notices are a call for a greater safety cushion between power demand and available supply.
The NESO was at pains to point out that it does not signal that blackouts are imminent or that there is not enough generation to meet current demand.
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There is strain on the system due to a lack of wind and bitterly cold temperatures, which stoke stronger demand for electricity and gas.
Lows of minus 16C, the coldest of the winter so far, are forecast for parts of the UK on Thursday.
A yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for northern Scotland and Northern Ireland from noon on Wednesday until midnight on Thursday.
Sub-zero temperatures are expected across the country for the foreseeable future.
It is the first winter the UK has seen in living memory without coal power forming part of the domestic electricity generation mix.
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The number of such power stations held in reserve was gradually drawn down under efforts to reduce the country’s carbon footprint.
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station shut down in September.
The UK has reciprocal arrangements with neighbouring countries to draw power via so-called interconnectors if and when required to help keep the lights on.
National Grid data showed that more than 50% of the UK’s power was being generated through natural gas.
Renewables accounted for just 16% while France and Norway were helping provide 10% of output, with nuclear and Biomass accounting for the bulk of the balance.
Piers Morgan, the broadcaster and journalist, is leaving Rupert Murdoch’s British empire to focus on expanding his Uncensored YouTube channel in the US and other international markets, underlining prominent media figures’ accelerating shift away from traditional outlets.
Sky News can exclusively reveal that Mr Morgan and News UK – publisher of The Sun and The Times and owner of Times radio – have agreed a deal that will see him taking ownership of the Uncensored media brand and its existing 3.6 million-strong YouTube subscriber base through his production company, Wake Up Productions.
He is understood to have struck a four-year revenue-sharing deal with News UK that will see the Murdoch-owned company receiving a slice of the advertising revenue generated by Piers Morgan Uncensored until 2029.
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Mr Morgan returned to News UK in January 2022 with a three-year deal that included writing regular columns for The Sun and New York Post, as well as presenting shows on the company’s now-folded television channel, Talk TV.
People close to the situation said a book deal with the Murdoch-owned publisher Harper Collins would still go ahead, with Mr Morgan expected to complete that project later this year.
He will also continue to write occasionally for News Corporation’s newspapers, according to one insider.
Mr Morgan’s future had been the subject of growing speculation following the expiry of his three-year contract with News UK at the end of 2024.
As part of his new arrangements, Mr Morgan has also signed a deal with Red Seat Ventures, a US-based agency which partners with prominent media figures and influencers to help them exploit commercial opportunities through sponsorship and other revenue streams.
Piers Morgan on TalkTV. Pic: PA
Among those Red Seat has worked with are Megyn Kelly, the American commentator, and Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News presenter.
Mr Morgan is also understood to have received expressions of interest in other commercial and broadcasting deals from American media groups, having been one of few Brits to present his own TV chatshow on a mainstream US network.
Fond of the phrase “One day you’re the cock of the walk, the next you’re the feather duster,” during various phases of his career, his latest deal reflects the shifting dynamics in media consumption.
Responding to an enquiry from Sky News on Wednesday morning, Mr Morgan said in a statement: “I have had a great time working back at News and am delighted that we will continue to be partners.
“Owning the brand allows my team and I the freedom to focus exclusively on building Uncensored into a standalone business, editorially and commercially, and in time, widening it from just me and my content.
“It’s clear from the recent US election that YouTube is an increasingly powerful and influential media platform, and Uncensored is one of the fastest-growing shows on it in the world.
“I’m very excited about the potential for Uncensored.”
Mr Morgan declined to comment on any other aspect of his new arrangement with News UK or his expansion plans ahead of an official announcement, which is understood to be scheduled for later on Wednesday.
His decision to strike out on his own – albeit with a continued relationship with News UK – is said to reflect his belief that broadcast audiences will increasingly shift away from mainstream channels to platforms such as YouTube.
“He thinks YouTube will be a dominant broadcasting platform in terms of audience share within a couple of years,” said one.
It was unclear what the precise revenue split would be between Wake Up Productions and News UK during their four-year partnership.
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He is expected to focus his efforts to expand Uncensored on US audiences initially, with a wider international plan to follow that.
On Tuesday, Mr Morgan posted on X that he believed an interview with Elon Musk, the Tesla founder who has sparked a firestorm in British politics in recent weeks, was “getting closer”.
Among the other interviewees on his YouTube show have been Donald Trump during his first presidency, the Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky and Cristiano Ronaldo, the footballer.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars says a record £300m investment at its West Sussex factory base will help expand production of bespoke and electric models.
The BMW-owned firm, like rivals in the luxury sphere, has enjoyed rising demand for personalised vehicles among its wealthy customer base.
The carmaker said recent orders to complement its base models included 18-carat gold sculptures, embroideries consisting of more than 869,500 stitches, wood veneers including 500 individually-shaped pieces and holographic paint finishes.
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The investment, Rolls-Royce said, would bolster facilities at Goodwood to cover such requests and also its Coachbuild programme – an invitation-only service where clients get to “craft an entirely original motor car.”
The company added that additional space would also be created to prepare Rolls-Royce for an all-battery electric future, with a new fully electric model due to be unveiled later this year.
Bespoke commissions for 2024 included ‘year of the dragon’ embroidery for one customer. Pic: R-R/Ciaran McCrickard/Mindworks
The £300m investment marked the largest cash injection in the company’s operations since the plant opened in 2003, Rolls said.
It made the announcement while revealing a fall in sales during 2024.
The company sold 5,712 cars in 2024, a drop of more than 5% versus the 6,032 vehicles sold over the previous 12 months.
It said the decline was in line with expectations as it switches over to new models. Four were introduced during 2024 including the Cullinan Series 2 and Ghost Series 2.
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North America was its largest market in 2024. The most popular model, it said, was the all-electric Spectre.
Goodwood employs 2,500 people and produces 28 cars daily, it added.
Recent workforce expansion has been a result of its high margin Bespoke and Coachbuild programmes but also the transition to electric technology.
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