The UK has been criticised for failing to support self-employed people.

People planning to set up a recruitment company will be interested to hear that the founder of an international lifestyle magazine has criticised the UK for failing to support the self-employed.

The latest labour market statistics show there was a four per cent annual dip in self-employment in the UK, with further figures from Foreign Direct Currency revealing that nearly a quarter of business owners are considering leaving the country.

Commenting on the data, Rhiannon Davies, co-founder of Shelter Offshore, stated that "people are right in thinking that they can have a better chance of success if they take their business abroad or start a new business overseas".

"The UK restricts self-employed individuals on so many levels – such as with excessive taxation – the self-employed pay Class 4 National Insurance contributions, for example, which is effectively a tax on tax," she explained.

Ms Davies also attacked banks for their reluctance to lend to small businesses in the country.