Over 90 enterprise leaders and MPs have signed an open letter calling on the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to cease the creep of taxes on Britain’s entrepreneurs.
Signatories embrace Luke Johnson, Chairman of Gail’s Bakery, Johnnie Boden, Founding father of Boden, Marcel Khan, CEO of Franco Manca and The Actual Greek, John Stapleton, Director, The New Covent Backyard Soup, and Andreas Adamides, CEO of Helm.
Priti Patel, Shadow Secretary of State for International Affairs, Andrew Griffith, Shadow Secretary for Enterprise & Commerce, and Chris Philp, Shadow Dwelling Secretary are additionally among the many 19 MP signatories.
The letter is written by Helm, Britain’s largest community of scale-up founders, and marks the start of its Cease the Creep marketing campaign.
In November 2025, the Chancellor pledged to make the UK probably the most engaging place on this planet for founders to begin and scale a enterprise. Signatories say the alternative is going on.
The letter warns of a “dying by a thousand cuts” – Employers’ Nationwide Insurance coverage and Capital Good points Tax is up, whereas Enterprise Asset Disposal Aid, Enterprise Property Aid and Agricultural Property Aid have all been lower.
It argues that whereas Britain “tightens the screws” on its founders, different nations are “rolling out the crimson carpet”. The USA affords zero tax on the primary $10 million of an organization sale, whereas Cyprus, Portugal, the UAE and Singapore are all actively “wooing Britain’s founders with low-tax regimes and pro-growth regulation.”
The letter calls on the Chancellor to cease the creep earlier than Britain loses its founders for good.
Andreas Adamides, CEO of Helm, mentioned: “Britain’s founders take the dangers, forgo the salaries and create the roles that energy our economic system. But the tax system is telling them to go away. The relentless creep of taxes on those that scale companies is corrosive, and it sends precisely the flawed sign to the individuals we most must again.
“The Authorities promised to make the UK the most effective place on this planet to construct a enterprise. I wish to consider that promise. However heat phrases gained’t hold founders right here, solely motion will.”
The complete open letter is as follows:
Britain’s founders constructed their companies right here. The tax system is telling them to go away.
Sir,
Britain’s founders spend years taking dangers, working all hours, forgoing salaries and creating jobs within the hope of in the future creating an organization that may pay for his or her retirement.
The chances are stacked in opposition to them.
Solely 4 out of each 10 companies within the UK see their fifth birthday. And whereas most enterprise house owners dream of in the future promoting their enterprise and retiring on the proceeds, vanishingly few ever do.
There are 5 million registered corporations within the UK, but simply 1,400 offered for greater than £1m in 2024, in line with the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics.
But the reward for the years of sacrifice for these few who make it to a big-ticket sale is a tax invoice that has almost doubled within the final two years.
Rachel Reeves instructed individuals she wished to make the UK probably the most engaging place on this planet for founders to begin and scale a enterprise. But the relentless creep of taxes on founders suggests in any other case.
Employers’ Nationwide Insurance coverage and Capital Good points Tax on dividends are up, Enterprise Asset Disposal Aid, Enterprise Property Aid and Agricultural Property Aid are all down. It’s dying by a thousand cuts.
And whereas Britain tightens the screws on its wealth creators, competing nations are rolling out the crimson carpet. The USA affords zero tax on the primary $10 million of an organization sale. Cyprus, Portugal, the UAE and Singapore are all wooing Britain’s founders with low-tax regimes and pro-growth laws.
The Authorities’s personal advisers warned Britain dangers turning into an incubator economic system — world-class at creating companies, unable to maintain them.
Nevertheless, all isn’t misplaced. We consider Britain stays one of the entrepreneurial and dynamic nations on Earth. Act now, and the Authorities can nonetheless hold its promise, and its scale-up founders. Fail, and Britain will proceed coaching entrepreneurs for export.
For this reason as we speak we’re launching the Cease the Creep marketing campaign, calling on the Chancellor to cease the corrosive tax rises on Britain’s companies.
Signed by:
Andreas Adamides, CEO, Helm
Luke Johnson, Chairman, Gail’s Bakery
Marcel Khan, CEO, Franco Manca & The Actual Greek
Johnnie Boden, Founder, Boden
Rt Hon Dame Priti Patel DBE MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International, Commonwealth and Improvement Affairs
Rt Hon Chris Philp MP, Shadow Dwelling Secretary
Andrew Griffith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Enterprise & Commerce
Kevin Hollinrake MP, Conservative Social gathering Chair
Nick Timothy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Nigel Huddleston MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Tradition, Media & Sport
Rt Hon Sir Andrew Mitchell MP
Rt Hon Esther McVey MP
Sir Desmond Swayne MP
Rt Hon Sir Julian Smith KCB CBE MP
Lord Bridges of Headley MBE
Dame Caroline Dinenage MP
Jerome Mayhew MP
Gregory Stafford MP
Charlie Dewhirst MP
Jack Rankin MP
Harriet Cross MP
Rebecca Smith MP
David Reed MP
Ben Overweight-Jecty MP
Thomas Lock, Founder & Managing Director, The British Snack Co.
Jordan Schlipf, CEO, Cowshed
Alex Fenton, Companion, Funding Bay and FBX Capital Companions
John Stapleton, Director, The New Covent Backyard Soup
Mark McCormack, Co-CEO, Speaking Tables Ltd
Robert Colvile, Director, Centre for Coverage Research
Christian Faes, Co-Founder, LendInvest
Hussein Kanji, Founding Companion, Hoxton Ventures
Ben Barbanel, Chief Lending Officer, OakNorth
Paul Taylor, Co-Founder & CEO, Thought Machine
Barney Hussey-Yeo, Founder & CEO, Cleo AI
Mark Slack, Co-Founder, CMR Surgical
Dominic McGregor, Founder, Fearless Adventures
Martin Wolstencroft, CEO, Arc Inspirations
Andrea Reynolds, Co-Founder & CEO, Swoop Funding
Teddie Levenfiche, Co-Founder, PerfectTed
Ed Leon Klinger, Co-Founder & CEO, Flock
Antton Peña, Co-Founder & Chief Industrial Officer, Flock
David Sherwood, Co-Founder & CEO, BibliU
Mark Colquhoun, Founder, Past Exit
Nick Broom, CEO, PVL UK Ltd
James Allam, CEO, Amthal Group Restricted
Gamze Priest, Founder & CEO, Software program Works For You
Alan Jones, Founder & CEO, YEO Messaging Ltd
Nick Gill, Co-Founder & CEO, The International Dwelling Firm
Andrew Schofield, Founder & CEO, Finelight Group
Mauricio Palacios-Serna, Managing Director, Serna FM
Chris Wheatcroft, Director, Prosper and Enterprise Ltd
David Gormer, Founder, Ignition Accounting Restricted
Gareth Broekmann, Managing Director, Charles Sq.
Eugene Gallagher, Managing Director, Cobbles
Lee Wheelan, CEO, Acuity Options Ltd
Adrian Lomas, CEO, Elevate Management Ltd
Michael Llewellyn, Director, LSC Properties Ltd
Christopher Monery, Director, CN Meals
Claudia Dreier-Poepperl, Chairman of the Board, Appvestor
Ali Aydan, Founder & CEO, Dorix Ltd
Stephen Goknel, Founder & Managing Director, Mello Sleep Ltd
Rob Hamilton, Director, The Hyde Ventures
Sean Lambert, Proprietor, Minerva Supported Dwelling Ltd
Freddie Archdale, Founder Success Supervisor, Helm
Stephen Hickey, CEO, Digital Management Room
Cat Kevern, Director, Electrical Cat
David Johnson, Director, D/Gauge Ltd
Duncan Cheatle, Director, Helm Membership
Jamie Hamer, Director, Loxa
Tom Carroll, Director, OhSo Technical Ltd
Sheyi Lisk-Carew, Director, Oclas Group
Sila Demirok, Director, Iron Arrow Consulting
Jill Tipping, Director, Pavelka Restricted
Alan Carter, Director, Life Folks Enterprise Ltd
Sanjith Mukund, Director, JrnyOn Restricted
Edward Goodchild, Director, Zendht Enterprise Studio
Andrew Fishwick, Director, Hestia
Jennifer Dunman, Director, Daisy First Support Ltd
Thomas Martin, Director, Content material Rocket Ltd
Nigar Huseynzade, Director, SIAR
Neil Cameron, Director, Sport Works Ltd
James Townsend, Director, Kontor
Sarj Radia, Director, CarePoint365 Ltd
Marcus Cronan, Director, AI Tappers Ltd
Anthony Barone, Director, StudioHawk
Lisa Cluer, Director, Inside Out Contracts
Andrew Hookway, Director, Extech Cloud
Kieron Garlic, Director, Current Communications Ltd
Derek Bishop, Director, Tradition Consultancy
Julien Slade, Director, Brookton Ltd
