Published: February 5, 2026 at 3:17 pm
Entrepreneur Paul Simkiss has warned that other SMEs will follow his lead in selling their business because of Rachel Reeves’ changes to inheritance tax.
Earlier this week it was revealed that United Infrastructure had acquired Rochdale-based Simkiss Group for an undisclosed sum.
Simkiss Group consists of Simkiss Control Systems, which was founded in 1999, and Instrument Control Services (ICS), which was acquired in 2025.
The leading engineering solutions provider works across multiple sectors, including energy, utilities and infrastructure and has a combined turnover of £20.5m and employs 152 staff.
Simkiss Control Systems designs and builds bespoke electrical control systems for a range of blue-chip clients, including Amazon, Network Rail and Siemens.
Although he welcomed the acquisition by United Infrastructure, Paul Simkiss said Labour’s changes to inheritance tax rules had been the ‘final straw’.
He asked: “Why is Rachel Reeves decimating SMEs in the country when they employ the vast majority of people in the UK?
“It’s frightening. Other SMEs will have to follow suit. Within a generation, SMEs are going to be eradicated because they’re not going to be able to continue.”