What is behind the cost of business crisis hitting UK plc?

Even with Prime Minister Liz Truss’s action to stem rises in energy bills, the economic pain is just beginning.

UK households still face pressures on their finances not seen since the second world war. The same is true for companies. Caught by both rising costs and falling consumer spending, this pincer movement is troubling businesses both large and small.

So far, with spending levels still strong in the economy, many companies have been…