{
  "id": 6233693,
  "title": "Healey wants to focus on the future but business is haunted by past mistakes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/healey-wants-to-focus-on-the-future-but-business-is-haunted-by-past",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-08T04:18:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/healey-wants-to-focus-on-the-future-but-business-is-haunted-by-past-mistakes/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "John Healey's calm, reassuring voice stands out in stark contrast to his predecessor's earnest but nervous manner. Despite his soothing tone, the Chancellor's recent speech has been met with skepticism, especially given the UK's recent turmoil in the bond market. Healey's address today aimed to present a broader vision while emphasizing fiscal credibility. However, his approach has been criticized for focusing on the future at the expense of acknowledging past missteps.\n\nHealey highlighted the \"cost of doing business crisis\" and promised to address it, linking the cost of living directly to the challenges facing employers. He maintained that growth is the solution to the nation's problems. Yet, many of the most burdensome costs inflicted on the private sector during his tenure as part of the Labour government remain unaddressed.\n\nBusinesses have repeatedly urged the Chancellor to reduce red tape, particularly in light of the cumbersome bureaucracy introduced by acts like the Employment Rights Act. However, Healey's emphasis on growth through a devolution agenda has been met with skepticism. The British Chambers of Commerce warns that further tax hikes could lead the UK \"on the road to ruin,\" calculating that government policies have increased overheads by 70% over the past decade. Healey's willingness to start addressing past mistakes is a silver lining, but the question remains whether the groundwork for stronger growth is already set in place.",
  "summary": "John Healey has a reassuring voice. If he revealed dry rot in your house or rang to tell you of suspicious activity on your account, you’d feel oddly calm about it. He’s not a gifted public speaker, but there is an ease and a glimmer of warmth that stands in stark contrast to the earnest [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}