Amid record redundancies and a stagnant jobs market, Budget decisions must stop punishing SMEs, writes Kevin Fitzgerald

The Budget delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves last year promised support for small and medium businesses. A year later and we’re still waiting to see it. Instead of opportunity, SMEs have faced higher costs, weaker growth and a hiring freeze that’s put the brakes on progress.

As we contemplate what comes next, we may reflect on the year past. You’d be forgiven for feeling as if SMEs have been handed punishment-by-policy, a slap on the wrist for a crime they didn’t commit. Penalties for the very people who are driving the UK economy.

All of this is playing out against a frosty economic backdrop – with the threat of an even colder winter Budget still hanging overhead.

Don’t just take my word for it, the data backs it up. Our Annual Jobs Report........

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