UMVA has learned that the small business community in Britain is bracing for the potential implications of Andy Burnham's by-election victory and his widely anticipated run for Number 10.
Exclusive research obtained by UMVA reveals that a staggering majority of small and medium-sized enterprise owners are fearful about what Burnham's arrival in Westminster could mean for their firms. Over 80% of the 2,000 SME owners surveyed expressed concerns about the implications for their business.
This anxiety is rooted in Burnham's interventionist and redistributive platform, which has included proposals such as a land value tax and expanded local levies. For owner-managers already struggling with higher employment costs, the prospect of a more activist Treasury is unsettling.
Business confidence has been fragile for some time, and the research suggests that a fresh layer of political uncertainty is now compounding the pressure. Soaring stress levels among the UK's smallest firms have been reported, and the survey findings indicate that owners are already stretched and worried about the potential impact of Burnham's premiership.
However, it would be wrong to assume that the small business community has made up its mind about Burnham. He has not yet formally challenged Sir Keir Starmer, and has positioned himself as a champion of regional growth and a backer of hospitality through a lower VAT rate. The concern voiced by SME owners is rooted in uncertainty as much as opposition.
The research makes plain that the small business community is watching Westminster closely and nervously. With capital allowances, employment rules, and the tax burden all sensitive to a change at the top, owners have learned to take political turbulence seriously. For now, the message from the shop floor and the spare-room office alike is one of caution.
Britain's job creators are not waiting to be reassured, they are bracing for impact. The survey findings serve as a warning that the small business community is exposed to decisions taken well above its pay grade, and that uncertainty can cut both ways.
