Jobs have been slashed in the private sector for 12 successive months for the first time since the pandemic – even as the bloated public sector continues to expand.
The grim milestone was revealed in a monthly business survey that lays bare Britain's deteriorating economic outlook under Labour.
And in a separate report, experts said the Government's punishing tax measures were mainly to blame for the UK's faltering performance rather than global turmoil caused by Donald Trump.
Rachel Reeves' decision to hike employer national insurance has piled the pain on businesses struggling to grow by making it more expensive to hire workers.
Critics say the Chancellor has been too ready to heap more costs on firms while at the same time caving to the demands of its union paymasters.
