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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Business
Anna Wise

Number of distressed businesses hits two-decade high on eve of Budget

The level of businesses facing financial distress has hit a record high (Dominic Lipinski/PA) - (PA Archive)

The level of businesses facing financial distress has hit a record high, as calls grow for the Chancellor to alleviate cost pressures on the eve of his Budget statement, new research shows.

There were 738,144 UK businesses in “significant” distress in the third quarter of 2026, according to the latest quarterly “red flag alert” report by BTG.

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