Spring Statement 2025: 'Business confidence can’t take any more blows'

With inflation at 3%, the Bank of England base rate unchanged at 4.5% and the economy unexpectedly shrinking in January this year, it is unsurprising that the news media landscape paints a picture of doom and gloom.

It’s a cycle as old as time; people are worried, the news reflects this concern, and it in-turn aggravates the sense of unease. All of this breeds caution, and caution in a business can be stifling.

Once again, what businesses need from the Government is a reason to be optimistic. We are now five years down the line from some of the biggest challenges businesses have faced, and the road since 2020 has been an uphill climb of recovery.

Those that survived Covid-19 and the payback of Covid recovery finance have also managed rising overheads and tax commitm