Business confidence has crashed to the lowest level since the pandemic after Rachel Reeves' tax raid.The Institute of Directors' optimism tracker fell to minus 65 in November, sharply down from minus 52 in October and the lowest score since April 2020.The Daily Express is looking for strong reactions in 3 or 4 sentences for a report being published on Sunday (December 1st).How confident are you feeling?

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How confident are you feeling after Rachel Reeves' tax raid?

Rachel reeves Tax raid and sheer ignorance of the impact on businesses has left the uk market reeling in a spiral of self doubt and confusion. This will continue to push business owners to make some difficult decisions. 

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Ken James

Business confidence has plummeted faster than a lead balloon, leaving small business owners adrift in a choppy sea of anti-business policies. This budget isn’t just anti-business; it’s anti-growth, like tossing a life ring filled with sand to those struggling to stay afloat in stormy economic waters. Confidence will remain in freefall unless we see policies that champion enterprise rather than treating it as a convenient scapegoat.

Kate Allen is the Founder and Director of Finest Stays, a South Devon based luxury holiday letting agency specialising in handpicked coastal and countryside holiday homes across the South Hams.

Kate Allen

The fact I am in the process of moving to Portugal highlights how I am feeling after the Budget. It is not just the tax raid though — it’s the sheer incompetence crisis we are going through given the nonsensical actions of this government.

Run Fink Money, designed to indoctrinate Brits into taking more risk. We help people develop their own investing methodology to turn their employment and business income into a profit centre, by investing in momentum and thematic quality globally.

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David Belle

Given what was in the Budget, it’s unsurprising confidence is so low. The number of knocks SMEs have taken over these past 4-5 years is huge. You can’t just keep hammering businesses and expect them to continually suck it up. Businesses felt a bit of relief after the election as they were told this government was going to be the most pro-growth, pro-business government we’ve ever seen. The jury sadly definitely remains out.

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Jon Maloney

I've often said "control the controllables", and whilst the recent fiscal measures will inevitably set businesses back and knock confidence, there's not a lot we can do to change fiscal policy. So, once again, it's left to businesses and business owners to pick up the pieces, focus on what they're good at and just like Covid-times "pivot" to adapt to the change and seek out those opportunites that always exist, even in tough times.

J-Flex manufacture and supply rubber-based products for use in technology-driven markets such as renewable energy, automotive and mass transit. They regularly export to 45 countries around the world and have established commercial partnerships in Spain, Germany, Australia and India. In August 2022 the business underwent a management buyout led by Sam Kirk (Managing Director) and Chris Barnes (Finance Director). Brexit, Covid, energy crisis, cartel-like behaviour in the supply chain - just some of the challenges we've had to overcome in the last couple of years.

Sam Kirk

Rachel Reeves has set the bar for business support so low it’s practically subterranean. The backbone of our economy is left creaking under policies that are less ‘pro-growth’ and more ‘pro-guess-what-you’re-on-your-own.’

Trish McGirr doesn’t do jargon. She’s the strategist corporates, lenders and boards call when financial distress threatens to spiral from balance sheet to headline. Director of Autris Ltd and founder of Repossession Rescue, she has built her reputation by exposing the human cost of debt and the chaos it creates for business. Her authority was forged in governance, first in the NHS, then through national consulting roles shaping policy and strategy. Since 2003 she has also lived and breathed property and finance, advising on distressed assets and risk. That mix of boardroom insight and frontline reality means she speaks with rare credibility on mortgages, debt, consumer impact and the challenges of deploying AI responsibly. Trish doesn’t just comment, she challenges. She calls out complacency in finance and corporate strategy, demanding solutions that balance profit with principle. For her, debt, vulnerability and automation aren’t operational headaches; they’re governance priorities that decide trust, compliance and brand survival. And when financial decisions hit the frontline, Trish is the voice that makes clear: risk becomes reputation, and governance is survival.

How confident are you feeling after Rachel Reeves' tax raid?

6 responses from the Newspage community
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Ken James

Director at Contractor Mortgage Services

Kate Allen

Owner at Finest Stays

David Belle

Founder and Trader at Fink Money

Jon Maloney

Founder at Century Business Finance

Sam Kirk

Managing Director at J-Flex Rubber Products

Patricia McGirr

Founder at Repossession Rescue Network

6 responses from the Newspage communityCopy all

6 responses from the Newspage community
Copy all