i have a warm spot in my heart for tiktok, because i won youth by 3a points and there are those that say tiktok has something to do with that. hello wolverhampton! plus, from "oh no it isn't" to "oh yes it is!" pantomime is back with a bang, with ticket sales at pre—pandemic highs. we'll be speaking to a top producer about the festive shows�* lasting appeal. live from london, this is business today. i'm sally bundock. we start here in the uk, where businesses from jaguar land rover to amazon to defence giant bae, as well as trade union leaders, will be in parliament to discuss britain's new employment rights bill. it is being pushed by the government as the "biggest upgrade to workers�* rights

"in a generation". but firms are worried it could make it harder and more expensive to hire people in a jobs market that is already struggling. on monday, surveys showed companies cutting staff at a rate not seen since the pandemic — and the biggest slump in business confidence since the lockdowns. some are blaming the chancellor's budget. uk firms are being hit by a £25 billion rise in national insurance contributions for their staff, as the rate goes up to 15% of earnings and the payment threshold is cut. at the same time, from april, the uk's minimum wage for over—215 will go up to £12.21 an hour — a rise of almost 7%. that's on top of a 10% rise last year. on sunday with laura kuenssberg here on the bbc, there was a stark warning from james reed, the boss of the uk's top recruitment agency, who said he's already seen a slump in jobs vacancies.

the budget has spooked business, and we have seen that, this big black hole of £22 billion we have heard so much about has become a million black holes in company balance sheet up and down the country. all these businesses are looking at what we do about this, and the answers to that question is not good. are we going to cut hiring, we will make people redundant, we won't invest, we will offshore jobs. so that is a big issue and i would urge a rethink on this because i think taxing jobs right now is not a good idea and there are better things to tax. you could tax fuel, you could tax gambling, you could tax... high—value property, you could tax imports but notjobs, please. let's bring in neil carberry, chief executive at the recruitment and employment confederation. good morning to you. is this the perfect storm for employers, a combination of attacks increased, minimum wage going up, and then what is due

down the track, assuming the employment rights bill goes through? i employment rights bill goes throu . h? ~ employment rights bill goes throu~h? , ,, , through? i think businesses throu~h through? i think businesses through 2024 _ through? i think businesses through 2024 had _ through? i think businesses through 2024 had been - through? i think businesses i through 2024 had been getting more confident about themselves and that is just taking a bit of check post budget and if you think about the average small business, they are looking at finding thousands of pounds for the national insurance rights, particularly if they are affected by the threshold changes which is particularly brittle for retail and hospitality. and then thinking about a hospitality. and then thinking abouta minimum hospitality. and then thinking about a minimum wage that has gone up by 25% in the last three years and the prospect of controls in this bill and that is causing a bit of thought in business is about what their hiring plans are, i would say more at the moment we are seeing businesses calling in their plans for next year and reconsidering them rather than stepping them back. the big test in the new year is whether the government can boost the confidence of firms to go back into the market and higher. ——

and hiring. so you don't think the treasury, the chancellor will reconsider their plans that they put through in the budget? figs that they put through in the budaet? �* , ., ., budget? as we had there, other ideas out there _ budget? as we had there, other ideas out there in _ budget? as we had there, other ideas out there in terms - budget? as we had there, other ideas out there in terms of- ideas out there in terms of raising funding, but £25 billion is a lot of money to raise. you won't get that through just putting up fuel duty for instance. i through just putting up fuel duty for instance.— through just putting up fuel duty for instance. i think most businesses — duty for instance. i think most businesses feel _ duty for instance. i think most businesses feel payroll - duty for instance. i think most businesses feel payroll tax - businesses feel payroll tax rise is the wrong way to do this. i think rise is the wrong way to do this. ithink if rise is the wrong way to do this. i think if the chancellor could considerfor this. i think if the chancellor could consider for instance things like phasing and staging the changes, particularly to the changes, particularly to the threshold which is incredibly challenging, that would be fantastic. but the other thing is, just don't allow costs on top. there is a lot of detail in the employment rights bill, where it could be fine if it is got right or it could be incredibly costly if it is got wrong. —— don't allow costs on top. particularly around the treatment of agency workers where we are asking the government to be more sensible around what happens if you are overregulated and we are seeing

evidence of that over the weekend where shops are using more self—employed workers who don't have the protection of an employment relationship, because the costs of employing people directly arising so fast. �* , ., fast. and is that the unintended - fast. and is that the - unintended consequences of fast. and is that the _ unintended consequences of an employment rights bill, where it becomes so owner is to employ people that actually you don't? employ people that actually you dont? employ people that actually you don't? , ., ., �* ., don't? either you don't and in very small — don't? either you don't and in very small businesses, - don't? either you don't and in very small businesses, areas | very small businesses, areas like small shop owners, pubs, you just get the landlord of the shop owner doing more hours — or you move to much more flexible forms of employment still and you end up with a boom in people who are self—employed but who aren't really self—employed, that is just the basis on which they have been engaged and that is a big enforcement challenge for the government to —— government's new fair work agency. it is very important that this bill is not rushed and i think a lot of employers, trade union leaders and employment lawyers think the employment lawyers think the employment rights bill is just

undercooked. employment rights bill is 'ust undercookedi employment rights bill is 'ust undercookedfi undercooked. and i'm sure business — undercooked. and i'm sure business leaders _ undercooked. and i'm sure business leaders and - undercooked. and i'm sure business leaders and union leaders will be expressing that opinion today when they have their meetings, thank you again for your thoughts on this, neil carbery there. to the us now, where tiktok has appealed to the supreme court to delay a law that would see it banned in america on 19 january. that law was passed over concerns the chinese—owned firm could pose a national security risk. meanwhile, chief executive shou zi chew is the latest tech executive to make his way to donald trump's florida residence mar—a—lago for talks. the president—elect, who returns to the white house on 20 january, could prove to be a trump card for tiktok, as our north america technology correspondent lily jamali explains. this law calls on tiktok to be banned in the us unless it's chinese parents company sells it to a us buyer, and executives they have made it very clear have absolutely no

intention of doing that. this law was upheld earlier this month by a us appeals court, tiktok and bytedance are now appealing to the us supreme court and on monday they even asked the supreme court to block the law on an emergency basis. while they await an answer, donald trump is giving the platform's 170 million american users the platform's170 million american users some hope. we will take a _ american users some hope. - will take a look at tiktok. i have a warm spot in my heart for tiktok, have a warm spot in my heart fortiktok, because have a warm spot in my heart for tiktok, because i won youth by 34 points, and there are those that say tiktok what had something to do with it. president—elect trump expressed a very similar sentiment to that one on the campaign trail. it is a departure from his stance back in 2020 when he was actually the one trying to ban tiktok here in the us. now tiktok here in the us. now tiktok ceo shou zi chew and many tiktok creators are celebrating trump's comments

from monday, some of them actually make their living off the platform, but the question remains how much legal leveraged trump actually has. that is because google and apple are major players in this story as well, they run the app stores where most people go to download tiktok to their devices, and as long as this law remains on the books, those companies could face a legal risk, no matter what trump things of tiktok. —— thinks. lily jamalithere. —— lily jamali there. let's bring in bob o'donnell, president and chief analyst at technalysis research — he's in foster city, california. what do you make of this latest intervention? the boss of bytedance is hanging out with president—elect donald trump at mar—a—lago? it president-elect donald trump at mar-siege?— mar-a-lago? it seems all the ma'or mar-a-lago? it seems all the major tech — mar-a-lago? it seems all the major tech leaders _ mar-a-lago? it seems all the major tech leaders are - mar-a-lago? it seems all the | major tech leaders are handing out at mar—a—lago as you briefly mentioned and a lot of people are sending money that way as well. clearly the rules

are changing and they are expected to change even more when trump does officially come into the presidency. and so the problem we have right now is, as your report mentioned, 170 million users in the us, a lot of young people are getting their news from tiktok, that is becoming a primary news source and yet it is controlled by a chinese company. and clearly thatis chinese company. and clearly that is a concern, and that is why, by the way, even republicans and democrats were concerned with this ownership deal, and they were the ones that pushed for it, it was one of the few bilateral things that happened over the last couple of years. so it will be very interesting to see, because obviously trump changed his mind because he had a big supporter that was a big investor at tiktok and money talks, when it comes to trump, and so those things have clearly influenced him as well as his comments. but i think there will be a lot of questions going on and as your reporter mentioned, if apple and google pull the app from

the app store, that will have a long—term implication regardless of what trump says. presumably they could just put it back in as quickly as they can remove it if things do change. but the law comes into effect, the band, on 19 january, donald trump is inaugurated the day after that. timing is everything here, so really bytedance has to see this band overturned in the supreme court prior to 19 january, we assume. that's ri . ht, january, we assume. that's right, but — january, we assume. that's right, but everything - january, we assume. that's i right, but everything changes. trump has already talked about all these other changes he will do the moment he gets into office. theoretically he can make an executive order, there is all kinds of possibilities that would happen here. so while a lot of people are focused on the date, i think the fact of the matter is a lot of things will change and so therefore those specific dates i don't think will matter quite as much as the bigger picture questions, and again how both sides of the political parties here in the us feel about this

particular issue.— here in the us feel about this particular issue. indeed. bob, thank you. — particular issue. indeed. bob, thank you, bob _ particular issue. indeed. bob, thank you, bob o'donnell- particular issue. indeed. bob, | thank you, bob o'donnell from technalysis. let's stay with tech and trump, because the enthusiasm on wall street over his election has continued, especially among technology investors. the nasdaq 100 closed at a new record high, bitcoin continued its rise, now above $107,000 a coin. investors are betting on lower taxes and lighter regulation under trump, as well as a more supportive environment for crypto. and there was a big endorsement from japanese tech billionaire masayoshi son, who pledged to invest $100 billion in al projects in the us. ritika gupta reports from new york. softbank ceo masayoshi son announced a $100 billion investment in the us over the next four years. speaking at

president—elect donald trump's residence in mar—a—lago, florida, he said it could create 100,000 jobs in america focused on al and related infrastructure. i focused on al and related infrastructure.— focused on al and related infrastructure. i would really like to celebrate _ infrastructure. i would really like to celebrate the - infrastructure. i would really like to celebrate the great i like to celebrate the great victory of president trump. and my confidence level to the economy of the united states has tremendously increased with his victory. so because of that, i am now 1530