Critics argue these initiatives would not be necessary if the banks were doing their job instead of persisting in their reluctance to lend to small companies.

Geoff Parkes, teaching fellow at Aston Business School in Birmingham, said: ‘Thus far, the scheme has accounted for less than two per cent of all lending to small firms.’

The Autumn Statement contained some good news for entrepreneurs as George Osborne pledged to carry on exempting micro companies from paying business rates.

The Flat Rate Scheme for VAT, designed to cut bills and red tape for small firms, is being overhauled in a measure the Chancellor said would stem abuse of the scheme.

According to a damning 75-page report by the Civil Aviation Authority, there are expensive hidden catches everywhere.

BRIAN BARWICK: And so to Match 64, or the World Cup Final as you and I call it. And the two teams are rested, recuperated, and ready for ‘the big one’.

Fred has retired from international football at the age of 30 after Brazil's disappointing World Cup campaign came to an end. He scored 18 goals in 39 games.

If she takes the £10k pot she is liable for tax. This seems very unfair as every other year before this and after she will earn a lot under the limit. Can't she share the excess over several tax years?

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN MOHALI: England appeared to be losing their battle to stay in with a chance of series success after Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin helped India dominate day three.

Scotland captain Andrew Robertson has revealed that Steve Clarke's squad held their own crisis summit in the wake of last Friday's dismal home Euro 2020 defeat to Russia.

A small plane confused drivers as it landed on a highway in Quebec City. The pilot managed to safely land the plane and find a empty spot on the road to land without hitting any cars.

Australian Uber passengers will now have the option to request a 'quiet trip' in advance - without any music or conversation.

She's the uber-talented star of contemporary classics such as American Beauty and The American President. 

No ground in the top four divisions sits as far above sea level as The Hawthorns, and West Bromwich Albion now believe they have a manager capable of taking them to those heights.

It is not clear whether the warning is for Neymar and PSG's mocking of Dortmund striker Erling Haaland during and after the game or for the fracas that emerged when Emre Can was sent off.

Chris Sutton recounts to Kieran Gill the day he became public enemy No 1 in north London, while Martin Keown explains how it inadvertently helped Arsenal clinch the Double the following season.

ALVISE CAGNAZZO IN ITALY: Roma's plans for the next transfer window are based mainly around Arsenal's Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Manchester United's Chris Smalling. 

Steven Mnuchin said that a deal for small business relief could be reached within Democrats as early as Sunday night as he continues negotiations with Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.

Stoke manager Nathan Jones admits is he is running out of time after a dismal start to the season in the Championship.

Hallelujah! After temporarily shutting, our favourite Italian restaurant in South London, Lo Paste Tradizionali, has reopened for collections and deliveries on Friday to Sunday.

LAWRENCE BOOTH AT OLD TRAFFORD: Steve Smith accused England of playing into his hands after he continued to punish their bowling with a magnificent 211 in Manchester.

LAWRENCE BOOTH AT THE OVAL: Buttler, whose previous eight innings in this series had produced a best of 41, deposited Josh Hazlewood for three sixes to reach stumps on 64 not out.

England's white-ball opening batsman says he has been going 'stir crazy' during the coronavirus lockdown, hitting a tennis ball against a wall as he attempts to stay in some kind of touch.

The Portugal squad flew to Albania on Saturday ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifier and Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma made sure they got the best seats... in the cockpit.

Although the permutations over the third-place teams who will progress are complicated enough to require some serious mathematics the make-up of the individual groups are rather simpler.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will celebrate Archie Mountbatten-Windsor turning one today with a 'smash cake' and 'Zoom chats with friends and family', a source told People magazine.

Jordan Henderson has emerged as a key part of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side as they steam towards the Premier League title. Now he has been compared to Kevin De Bruyne.

With football currently suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic, fans are left without a fix. However, as of Wednesday there will be some small respite.

He is one of a select few holding two of most coveted prizes in British sport - the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award and a knighthood - but Sir Bradley Wiggins 'smashed' them up.

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT. Mobile phone footage shows wombat hit by a four-wheel-drive in Tasmania. The wombat is seen hanging off the car's bull bar.

Kelly Green, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, had been chatting to a friend, who sent her a screenshot that revealed what appeared to be a female figure with long blonde hair.

A Falcon Cove Middle School student made the false threats to kill on Friday and was arrested after a fellow student reported her to the Broward Sheriff's Office in Weston, Florida.

BUMBLE AT THE TEST: Sportsmail columnist David Lloyd was present as always to cast his expert and unique opinion over the action as New Zealand hosted England at the Bay Oval.

The Australian woman demanded her husband pull over after the unexpected guest ran across her helmet's visor this week while out on a ride.

Rail passengers jumped out of seats after being confronted with the unwanted guest on a Sydney train earlier this month.

A driver smashed traffic lights while driving wooden beams in their trailer in Schliersee, Bavaria, Germany, in a clip shared yesterday. Some viewers have said 'common sense failed to load'.

Simon Weckert, from Germany, decided to trick the web mapping service Google Maps by walking through the streets of Berlin with 99 smartphones all connected to the app.

Huawei has confirmed its first smartphone made without access to Google apps will be released in the UK on February 20, sold exclusively through Carphone Warehouse.

A Northeastern University study found smart speakers were randomly set off to listen to users by words spoken on television sets that were in the same room as many as 19 times per day.

With more companies telling employees to work from home because of the coronavirus, MailOnline has taken a look at some of the best and worst AR apps to smarten you up during a video call.

As millions around the globe work from home to limit the spread of coronavirus, employers are urging staff to turn off their smart speakers to keep the devices from listening to phone calls.

Online retailer Kogan has launched a massive 'frenzy' sale on home essentials as Australians increasingly stay indoors during the coronavirus pandemic.

'Adak National Forest' - which looks like a big bush from a distance - can be found on the remote Alaskan island of Adak, part of the volcanic Aleutian archipelago.

iPhone shipments to China fell by 35 percent in November, the second straight month of double-digit declines in the country compared to the same periods the previous year, likely due to tariffs.

A new line of iPhone Pros will be reimagined to appear more like the company's current line of iPads, specifically making use of a chassis with flat sides like the one seen on the iPad Pro.

Pictures, from frequent phone leaker Jon Prosser, show what appear to be official Apple schematics for its next flagship iPhone - specifically a reduced 'notch' that stores camera components.

Smart meters are not as dangerous as hard shoulder-less smart motorways will ever be, but their creeping introduction has not been without buckets of controversy.

LIZ JONES: Theresa May had been looking jittery all morning. She put her glasses on, she took her glasses off, she clutched her notes. She ignored her friend Ken Clarke, mouthing, 'Not now'.

Lisa Neilson, 34, from Castleford, in West Yorkshire, bought the gel cover to protect her new Samsung S10.

The Competition and Markets Authority has sounded the alarm over the problem as online reviews influence an estimated £23 billion of transactions a year in the UK alone.