‘Stop assaulting British business’

EXPERTS have called on the Government to step back from an "assault on business" which they warn will lead to higher prices, lower wages and fewer jobs.

- David Williamson

Chancellor Rachel Reeves's plans to hike up National Insurance contributions for employers will go before MPs on Tuesday, with leading voices calling for an urgent U-turn.

Condemning the changes as a "jobs tax", Maxwell Marlow, of the Adam Smith Institute, warned that if they go ahead the country will see the "price of products rise at the till, slower wage growth to pay for them and a tougher jobs market".

Alex Veitch, of the British Chambers of Commerce, claimed some small to medium-sized businesses are "looking at seven-fold increases in their bills for NICS and wages".