Small firms say they are holding back on hiring ahead of Wednesday's Budget
Small businesses told the BBC at the Devon Business Show that they are holding back on hiring because of higher employer National Insurance and minimum wage costs. Some want employment costs cut in Wednesday's Budget.
Left 0 · Centre-left 0 · Centre 1 · Centre-right 0 · Right 1
Sources by leanFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
No left-rated outlet in our sample covered it.
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Firms in Devon 'holding back' on new jobs ahead of Budget” (BBC News).
Right-leaning outlets
Right-rated outlets headline it: “Labour is killing aspiration and placing a block on recruitment, say small business owners on Healey's home patch days before the Budget” (Daily Mail).
Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 0
No left coverage found — blindspot
Centre 1
Showing 1 from centre and right of 2 rated outlets (L 0 / C 1 / R 1). Capped at 1 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. More coverage
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (2 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| BBC News | Centre | The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source |
| Daily Mail | Right | The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source |