24/09/2026
2027 — MORE JOBS, MORE INVESTMENT AND ANOTHER FRY FRESH DEPOT.
One of my biggest frustrations as a British business owner is competitiveness.
British companies don’t operate in isolation. We compete against businesses headquartered overseas, some of which operate within very different tax systems.
Take Corporation Tax. The UK’s main rate is 25%. Ireland generally taxes trading income at 12.5%.
And importantly for businesses planning ahead, the UK Government has already stated that the 25% main Corporation Tax rate will continue for the financial year beginning April 2027.
In the UK, an employer can also face 15% employer National Insurance above the relevant threshold before you even start considering wages, energy, business rates, fuel, regulatory costs and the multitude of other costs involved in employing people and expanding a company.
That matters.
Every additional cost imposed on employing someone or investing another pound has to come from somewhere: margin, investment, wages, prices or future growth.
I believe governments should be asking a very simple question:
How do we make Britain one of the most competitive places in the world to build a company, employ people, manufacture products and invest capital?
I strongly disagree with the current Labour government’s approach to taxation and business. Others will take a different view, and people should examine the evidence and make their own political decisions.
There is also a reason international tax competitiveness matters.
Businesses consider where activities, investment and ultimately profits are located. Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar and other jurisdictions have deliberately developed different tax environments.
Businesses don’t restructure internationally simply for the fun of it. Tax, regulation, labour costs, access to markets and numerous other commercial factors can all influence decisions about where future investment takes place.
Of course, a British company cannot simply decide to move its tax bill overseas while continuing exactly the same UK activities. Corporate residence, permanent-establishment, transfer-pricing and anti-avoidance rules matter.
But governments should recognise the competitive pressure.
I’d much rather see British entrepreneurs have every reason to invest here, employ here and pay their taxes here than create incentives for legitimate international investment to move elsewhere.
And despite my disagreement with government policy, Fry Fresh isn’t retreating.
We’re pushing forward.
My determination for 2027 is clear:
Another depot.
More British jobs.
More investment.
More green technology.
More efficient vehicles.
More productivity.
More competition with the major European operators already serving the UK market.
I grew up on a council estate. I know what living around benefits looks like.
A welfare system should protect people who genuinely need support. But my own experience has left me convinced that lasting opportunity comes from helping people into work, developing skills, encouraging aspiration and making enterprise worthwhile.
For me, aspiration changed everything.
Work. Risk. Investment. Responsibility. Productivity.
That’s how I’m continuing to build Fry Fresh.
Whatever government is in power, we’re going to keep investing, employing people and moving forward.
2027: another depot. More British jobs. More green investment. More competition. More growth.
