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Non-competes plans pit entrepreneurs against financial services sector

Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers a speech during The Innovation Nation Summit in Manchester, October 2026
Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers a speech during The Innovation Nation Summit Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Tech groups back a ban, while the City’s financial institutions warn it will harm competitiveness: we consider the likely proposals.

On October 9, 2026, at the Innovation Nation Summit in Manchester, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a commitment to clamp down on non-compete clauses in employment contracts, commenting: “Businesses have gone too far in their use of restrictive practices such as non-compete clauses” and that “we need our innovators

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