Peter Kyle becomes the tenth business secretary in as many years – he should go where his predecessors didn’t and genuinely cut red tape, says Joe Hill

As Westminster calms down from a heady weekend of reshuffle-watching, new ministers will be getting to grips with their new briefs. It’s not an enviable task – when I was a civil servant, the briefing packs we prepared often ran into the hundreds of pages… and that was just the “day one” briefing!

Of all the new appointees, readers might have the most sympathy for the new business secretary, Peter Kyle. The tenth in the job in as many years, he has an uphill struggle ahead of him. The private sector is increasingly weary of the mismatch between the government’s line that growth is its top priority, and the reality that businesses, the engine of growth, have never felt under more pressure.

This year, for the first time since records began in 2012, the number of businesses registered with Companies House has fallen instead of risen. More companies are closing their doors and fewer new ones are opening. And the number of payrolled employees is falling, also following hikes in employer National Insurance contributions last year.

Given the government’s struggle to control the cost of public spending, going back on the tax rise seems unlikely. The Treasury may even feel it has to double........

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