Woodford 'absolutely delighted' with Chancellor's plans for UK start-ups

A 'sensible' Budget

Jayna Rana
clock • 1 min read

Neil Woodford, manager of the £695m Woodford Patient Capital trust, has welcomed yesterday's Autumn Budget announcement of a £2.5bn investment fund to help knowledge-intensive businesses access scale-up capital.

In his first Autumn Budget speech yesterday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond announced plans to boost investment in Britain's smaller and higher-risk businesses. He said the government is publishing an action plan to unlock over £20bn of new investment in UK knowledge-intensive, scale-up businesses. This will be done through a new fund in the British Business Bank seeded with £2.5bn of public money. Woodford said he is "absolutely delighted about the announcement...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Investment

UK DIY investment grew by more than £100bn in 2025

UK DIY investment grew by more than £100bn in 2025

According to data released by Boring Money

Patrick Brusnahan
clock 11 February 2026 • 2 min read
Darius McDermott: Think active for the decade ahead

Darius McDermott: Think active for the decade ahead

'There are reasons to be nervous about the largest companies in the index'

Darius McDermott
clock 11 February 2026 • 5 min read
Why 2026 is the time for investors to challenge market 'certainties'

Why 2026 is the time for investors to challenge market 'certainties'

Six critical questions investors should be asking themselves

Matthew Spencer
clock 09 February 2026 • 4 min read