Burnham urged to reverse national insurance rise costing firms £1,000 per worker

The Chancellor’s decision to raise employers’ national insurance is costing the average business more than £1,000 per worker every year, figures show.

For those on the real living wage, which amounts to a full-time salary of about £26,228 a year, employers are paying an average of £890 extra in tax a year, according to analysis by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

The figure rises to £1,053 for those earning the Scottish median wage of £39,879.

The SNP, which commissioned the analysis, called for Andy Burnham, who is expected to become prime minister later this month, to reverse the employers’ national insurance rise.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves raised the rate of national insurance, and lowered the tax’s starting threshold, in 2024 after Labour won a landslide election.

Published: 11/07/2026 by Radio NewsHub