Post-Brexit Pragmatism? What the UK–EU Reset Summit Means for SMEs

The long-anticipated UK–EU Reset Summit, held in London on 19 May 2025, marked a significant, despite cautious, turning point in the post-Brexit relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union. As the first structured political dialogue since the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in 2021, the summit offered a new platform… Read more

The New Business Growth Service – Six Steps to Growth

Launched on Small Business Saturday on 7th December 2024, the details of what the new Business Growth Service (Mk2) will provide for the small business sector across England has yet to be revealed, but we are assured it will not be long now. Under the previous Government, the business support landscape in England was weakened… Read more

SMEs and Net Zero: how can we break the cycle of inaction?

In 2019 the UK Government set the goal of achieving Net Zero – where the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced are equal to or less than the amount removed from the atmosphere – by 2050. This is a commitment that will impact on all businesses, including the more than 5.9 million of firms in… Read more

How could a new trade agreement revitalize SMEs in the agri-food sector?

For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agri-food sector, Brexit has ushered in a new era of challenges. Previously accustomed to the frictionless trade afforded by EU membership, these businesses now face significant trade barriers, including stricter checks and complicated documentation requirements. SMEs are particularly affected, as they often lack the resources to navigate… Read more

Equity finance access and use in early-stage UK ventures

I recently worked on some new groundbreaking research with the ERC examining access to and use of equity finance amongst UK early-stage ventures. This involved the first national survey to explore the process of how potential high growth startup ventures access their first formally reported round of equity finance. The research is important because the… Read more

Let’s talk about another M in the business population – Micros

We know that the vast majority of private sector businesses do not grow, and policymakers are always seeking ways to encourage more firms to take the first steps along the growth path, and to sustain it.  As such the emphasis has been on fast-growth, high-growth and scaling as the watch-words of business support policy.Too often… Read more

What can we learn from Swedish approaches to workplace mental health?

In a recent speech, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that work is good for those with anxiety and milder depression and has signalled that benefits may be removed from some mental health sufferers as part of a reform of the benefits system. But his assertion has provoked an outcry from mental health charities including Mind,… Read more

Is presenteeism the new absenteeism?

As businesses continue to rebound from the pandemic, and new ways of hybrid and remote working become embedded, a new ERC study finds that while mental health-related sickness levels are remaining flat, presenteeism has increased sharply. Some reports suggest that this may, in part, be a consequence of new working practices. What does this mean… Read more