A record 738,144 UK businesses were in significant financial distress in the third quarter of 2026, according to research published today by advisory group BTG, the day before the Chancellor, John Healey, delivers his first Budget.
The figure, from BTG’s Red Flag Alert report, was 1.6 per cent higher than the 726,594 recorded in the same period last year and is the highest since the research began in 2004. BTG said 20 of the 22 sectors it monitors recorded an increase in significant distress.
Support services had the largest number of businesses in significant distress, at 118,695, followed by construction at 108,340 and real estate and property services at 99,908, which BTG said was up 9.7 per cent year on year.