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SummaryCompanies UK business investment has lagged since Brexit"Largest business tax cut" in modern history-HuntTax break costs 11 bln stg a yearOBR forecasts 3 bln stg a year investment boostLONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Britain's finance minister Jeremy Hunt made a tax break for business investment permanent on Wednesday, aiming to kickstart growth in the country's sluggish economy. Hunt hopes that by making permanent the tax break known as "full expensing", companies will spend more on new kit and technology, lifting productivity. This is the largest business tax cut in modern British history," Hunt said in his Autumn Statement on Wednesday. BT (BT.L), a beneficiary of the tax break as it is investing billions in building a new fibre network, welcomed Hunt's move. British business investment has trailed that of other developed economies, according to research from the International Monetary Fund.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Hunt's, Philip Jansen, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Stephen Phipson, Robert Forrester, David Milliken, Kylie MacLellan, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Alex Richardson Organizations: LONDON, BT, Labour, Conservatives, Britain's, REUTERS Acquire, International Monetary Fund, Vertu, BBC Radio, Thomson Locations: Britain, London, British

☆ HS2: Britain's high-speed rail fiasco reflects grim economic reality
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Mark Thompson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Our plan will drive far more growth and opportunity here in the north than a faster train to London ever would,” he said Wednesday. Some of the alternatives Sunak highlighted were predicated on the delivery of HS2, said Henrietta Bailey, CEO of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. “This is the biggest and most damaging U-turn in the history of UK infrastructure,” the High Speed Rail Group, which represents companies such as Siemens, Hitachi and Bombardier, said in a statement. “The decision … sends a hugely disappointing message about our commitment to completing major infrastructure projects in the UK,” said Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK, which represents manufacturing firms. The country must hope that his latest policy reversal doesn’t deter investors and further undermine a struggling UK economy, perpetuating a doom-loop of weak growth and underinvestment.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, ”, Henrietta Bailey, Stephen Phipson, Mark Allen, ” Sunak, —, Liz Truss, he’s, Sunak blinked, James Mason, ” — Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN —, Leeds, Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, HS2 —, Conservative, Speed Rail Group, Siemens, Hitachi, Bombardier, Make, Investors, Treasury, Business Locations: England, United Kingdom, London, Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Britain, West, North Yorkshire

☆ UK becoming less attractive for investment, manufacturers warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Britain has become less competitive and less attractive to foreign investors as a result of soaring energy costs and recent political turmoil, manufacturers said in an industry survey released on Monday. The proportion of manufacturers who think Britain is a competitive location halved to 31% from 63% a year ago, and 43% said Britain had become less attractive to overseas investors, according to the survey by Make UK, the main trade body for British manufacturers, and accountants PwC. Make UK said the plans are likely to lead to exacerbate cuts to jobs and production that were already in the pipeline. When the survey took place in November, two thirds of manufacturers expected to reduce headcount or cut output because of high energy costs. "The year ahead is going to be very challenging for manufacturers with a potent mix of factors testing their resolve," Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK.

☆ UK manufacturers expect output to fall 3.2% in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"There is simply no sugar-coating the outlook for next year and possibly beyond," said Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK. The energy subsidies stop at the end of March. "The bigger issue is that the UK risks sleepwalking into an acceptance that little or no growth is the norm. The most recent official data shows that manufacturing output in September was 5.8% lower than a year earlier. Make UK said the scale of the fall in output that it was estimating for 2022 partly reflected an unusually strong performance in 2021, when there was a bounce back in demand after the pandemic.

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