Enews - 9 September 2026
In this week’s Enews, we look at
- Government launches overhaul of corporate reporting
- Nearly half of UK businesses using AI tools
- Chancellor pledges to make Great Britain ‘growth Britain’
Government launches overhaul of corporate reporting
The government recently launched an overhaul of corporate reporting that it hopes will save UK businesses more than £450 million per year.
As part of the changes, the government will replace paperwork reporting with digital systems and explore how AI can further drive efficiency.
Simpler rules will make British businesses more attractive to investors, the government said. In turn this will help to drive the creation of good jobs that make the country better off.
The government will tackle corporate reporting burdens by simplifying reporting rules for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It said such businesses ‘often lack the resources to spend hours combing through paperwork’.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds commented: ‘For years, hardworking firms in this country have been weighed down by pen-pushing paperwork and frustrating costs, ticking boxes that do nothing to help them grow their business.
‘We’re stripping back outdated bureaucracy and building a common-sense system fit for a 21st-century economy. This will cut the cost of doing business, giving breathing room to bosses across the country, and free them up to focus on what they do best, creating jobs and growth.’
Press release: Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Nearly half of UK businesses using AI tools
Research carried out by insurer Simply Business has revealed that 47% of UK small business owners are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
The latest figure represents a significant increase compared to 2025, when just 22% of firms stated they actively used AI.
An additional 13% plan to start using AI in the next six to 12 months, Simply Business found.
Creating content, problem solving and generating ideas were amongst the top uses for AI, the research showed. 46% said they utilise AI to save time on administrative tasks.
Julie Fisher, UK CEO of Simply Business, said: ‘Adaptability and resilience are central to the DNA of small business owners and time and again they’ve proven they’re drivers of innovation - finding new ways to grow even in the face of challenging trading conditions.
‘One of the most significant shifts we’ve tracked this year with our annual SME Insights Report is around AI adoption. Almost half say they now use AI in their business, up from 22% in 2025.’
Press release: Simply Business
Chancellor pledges to make Great Britain ‘growth Britain’
In a speech ahead of the Autumn Budget on 28 October, Chancellor John Healey pledged to make Great Britain ‘growth Britain again’ by strengthening the UK’s economic growth trajectory.
Mr Healey said that he understands that small businesses in the UK are facing significant cost pressures, from rising energy bills to higher labour costs.
He stated that growth is the only way to combat cost increases for businesses and the public. The Chancellor intends to make the UK a ‘country of wealth creation’ by ensuring government policies help generate confidence in British businesses.
In his speech, the Chancellor also stated he won’t respond to speculation regarding tax rises ahead of the Autumn Budget. He said the government is focused on ‘doubling down’ on growth, calling it the ‘first economic priority’ of this government.
Mr Healey said: ‘On my first day in the Treasury, I said that fiscal discipline was my first priority as Chancellor. It underwrites every promise this government makes.
‘And the Prime Minister and I are in lockstep in our commitment to meeting the fiscal rules at the upcoming Budget, from balancing the books with a buffer to protect against uncertainty to controlling borrowing to bear down on inflation and reducing long-term pressures on our public finances.’
Press release: HM Treasury