LCCI Comment on Conservatives’ Proposed NI Cut

Wednesday 7 October 2026

Karim Fatehi OBE, Chief Executive Officer of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) commented:

"This is a welcome step, and one that reflects what LCCI has been pushing for ahead of the Budget. Halving National Insurance for businesses hiring 21 to 24 year olds recognises that the cost of hiring, not a lack of willing employers, is what's keeping almost a million young people out of work.

Our own polling backs this up. For the second quarter running, nine in ten London businesses didn't attempt to recruit at all. When hiring is this expensive, businesses stop even trying, and young people pay the price.

This is a good first step, but it shouldn't be the last one. We've called for employer National Insurance contributions to be removed entirely for hiring a young person who has been NEET for 12 months or longer, up to the age of 25. A tax on business is a tax on growth, and if the government is serious about growth in every postcode, it has to keep cutting the cost of hiring, not just for young people, but across the board."

ENDS

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