Labour Government Splashes £750,000 for Businesses in South Africa While Hammering UK Firms – Guido Fawkes

The Foreign Office is splashing out £750,000 to support small to medium-sized businesses in South Africa, according to research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance. It never ends…

The programme began last November – months after Starmer promised to cut waste in the foreign aid budget – and runs until 2029. The FDCO explains the taxpayer cash will go towards:

“The SME Invest Programme aims to unlock finance for SMEs with high potential to create jobs in economically excluded South African provinces. It will provide tailored advisory services, investor matching, and catalytic capital to de-risk investments…Supporting 60-80 SMEs, the programme will support 5,000 jobs, with a proactive focus on women’s economic empowerment.”

Meanwhile at home, SMEs have been crying out over Reeves’ hikes to NICs and minimum wage, with the (un)Employment Rights Bill set to hammer firms even further. ‘Global Britain’…