A solemn applause echoed across a factory floor in the East Midlands as a trolley of product was wheeled towards its destination for the final time. The pottery was given a guard of honour at the kiln by employees of Denby Pottery, which appointed administrators on March 31 after being unable to secure investment. The 217-year-old Derbyshire company is a prime example of a British name with global appeal, having sold pottery to customers in South Korea, Canada and beyond. A petition to apply energy-intensive industry relief to the ceramics industry to “help cut soaring industrial energy costs” has garnered more than 100,000 signatures and is consequently being considered for debate by MPs.

Let’s hope this debate does happen, and when it does, that Rachel Reeves is present to hear about yet another business struggling under her reign at the Treasury. The Chancellor is facing truly grim research suggesting that 300,000 UK businesses failed in 2025. This is nearly one in every twenty, according to the insolvency practitioner Liquidation Centre.