The NI changes are going to cost my organisation £1000 per employee

Also worth noting that Invest 2035 is due to be published Spring 2025 - I've been told to expect it in March, some of the immediate elements have already been hinted at to those that need to make preparations. It will set out the Government's industrial strategy for the next ten years.

Economic and industrial strategy isn't something a new government can rush into, in Opposition you can have aims and objectives but only after you're elected can you put these into place as actions and strategies.

Regardless of your personal political persuasion.

• Governments have to play it as a medium-term game over four years.
• The Opposition gets to wing it hour-by-hour with no responsibilities or consequences.

Do you mean that Starmer and Reeves are, in fact, closet non-Labour voters?

Because they did a brilliant job of talking the country and the economy down in their pre-Budget appearances.

How many of those long-term clients looking to sell are older business owners that have happily bumbled towards the point they'd like to retire with no thought of succession?

I'm always amazed how many businesses I go into where the owner's retirement plan is to sell the business, but they've put no thought into how they could have ensured there was value in the business after they leave. Too much of the value is embedded in their personal knowledge and experience (and the book value is grossly over-inflated as a consequence). It's the great unspoken when it comes to the state of independent retail, and it's a building up to be a tsunami about to hit independent motor garages.

Erm yes it is. The reports are all out there…

There’s a section of non Labour voters (they get upset if you call them Tories) who are intent on talking the country down and are willing the government to fail for some reason. Given the God awful state we’re in (which certainly didn’t happen in six months) most sane people would want success, regardless of the colour of the government that achieved it.

Talk about Doom and gloom, are you usually this happy?

The economy is NOT shrinking, it stagnated over Q3, it shrunk last year, under Sunak.

City of London is second, behind NY, but up 3 ranking points, the next European centre is Frankfurt, in 10th - GFCI 36 Rank..

Canal + just listed in London, a company worth around 6 billion, not NY or Paris, why did ARM list in NY under the Tories? i doubt you posted such gloomy nonsense when that happened did you?

There was almost 500k new business starts up in the first 6 months of the year.

Blame Reeves all you want but the fact is she has to find the money to cover £10bn that Hunts NI cuts gave us but never funded, each and every year.

So either she stalls consumer spending by reversing them or she puts the costs onto business, which would you prefer?

Yep, same here. Not seen anything like it since the last recession. No one is coming in wanting to buy or set up a business, it's all longer term clients struggling to sell or trying to avoid insolvency. Very depressing.

@Aduvetday well said. The complete lack of comprehension by some people (especially the government) of this blindingly obvious outcome astounds me.

Erm it is. Where is the money coming from? We are still in a deficit. That’s going to get worse with a shrinking economy. You do realise that when the private sector shrinks and job losses arise, there is less to take in tax. Less tax = less money for state. It’s mind boggling you don’t understand the connection.

Growth has stalled, the private sector is shrinking, redundancies are happening and have been pipelined, The City is shrinking and companies in that area are registering in NYC.

So where is the money coming from? There comes a point that raising taxes results in a net loss and here we are.

Bit dramatic. Also, not true.

Where is that some where when the private sector has been taxed into closing/off shoring? The productive workers taxed out of more hours/UK base. I’ll tell you shall I? The public sector and the state because there is no-one left contributing enough to pay for it all.

Sorry, but the money has to come from somewhere.

We’re a charity with six staff so the increased employment allowance covers most of our rise, but I’m now only asking my trustees for one more staff member over the next two years instead of two as it will cover none of our additional costs on anyone more. We have operations in India and I expect further growth will be based there. If this policy stops lots of businesses taking on one more person it will cost way more than it makes in unemployment related benefits and slower economic growth.

We have so many clients asking us for advice on closing down their businesses as they can't afford the NI increases 😢

Whilst i agree that Blair was different from Thatcher/Major, he did follow the same privatisation agenda, we saw the rise of the housing association, didn't build any council housing, didn't even allow councils to keep monies raised to build new council housing.

It was a debt-shifting exercise. Moving the social housing stock into Housing Associations shifted debt associated with building social housing off the public debt book. It also, in theory, moved it out of the sphere of local politics - which was why Thatcher baked into Right To Buy a restriction on LAs reinvesting the proceeds in social housing. There was quite a bit of political scandal in the 1980s around local authorities gerrymandering the vote through social housing provision. The consequences of this are still shaping social housing provision 40 years later, even if most people have forgotten why.

The UK housing situation is unlikely to improve much as long as there's a stigma around renting and social housing, and as long as the private rental market remains an unregulated free-for-all.

There's an analysis in The Times today of how many seats Labour would lose based on preferences six months in, with Reform being major winners and many of the red wall seats https://www.thetimes.com/article/2c841313-80cf-4eb3-a596-8fd24c927937?shareToken=e8330411880fd2c99a8c764092ceab288_ - however it's obviously very early to tell, but if there is some sort of wider strategy behind what Labour has done so far other than plug the hole in finances, it's not obvious to me.

I hope so too.

Its the lack of ambition and setting out firm plans, i certainly didn't expect a string of consultations, esp on Social Care, an area where the NI increases will hit hard & where the problems are well known... kicking the can into the long grass?

I’m disappointed too @financiallyiliterate, it’s not the start I hoped for but six months in it’s too early to judge. I’m hoping to feel much less disappointed this time next year.

Whilst i agree that Blair was different from Thatcher/Major, he did follow the same privatisation agenda, we saw the rise of the housing association, didn't build any council housing, didn't even allow councils to keep monies raised to build new council housing.

We see it in Starmers Labour, what was the first thing they did? cut WFA and then a budget praised by Osbourne.
The increases in NI on business will have a negative effect on growth, a company boss i know, says its added 100k to his costs and will mean 1% off any pay rises.
In other news, hedge fund managers still get a sweetheart heart deal on their salaries with HMRC.

Nothing on Ofgem reform or energy pricing and by their own calculations, GB Energy will NOT reduce bills... unless there is another Ukraine.

No plan on Dentistry either, i'm not talking about actions here, 6m isn't long enough but a plan or even talks with the Dentists.... nothing at all, the NHS consultation wont even report until the spring, almost 12months after the GE.

Their plan on social care is pathetic... oh actually they haven't got one, its a long term consultation, meanwhile scrapped plans on extra funding and higher wages, so following the Tory option - do nothing.

Labour have squandered a 19pt lead over the Tories, in 5 months.

This leaves the door wide open for Reform/Farage.

I cannot tell you how disappointed i am in Labour, when i heard that water bills are going up by an average of 36%, above inflation, around 60% where i am, as we will lose the £50 rebate, i thought i may as well of voted Tory.

Well, you wrote it, don’t blame me for your literary efforts.

This. Not sure if people are aware but much of this base is relocating headquarters to NYC. Better investment/tax situation. Global financials have offices everywhere.

Very insightful. 🙄

Yes, left and right bollock…

It’s not even slightly accurate, it’s bollocks. You have only to compare the state of public services in 2010 with now to see what complete rubbish this is.