Category: News

A £283m government plan to train future builders, coders and engineers has been criticised by business leaders as too little, too late to fix the UK’s housing and productivity crisis.

UK job adverts fell for a second consecutive month in November as employers delayed hiring amid budget uncertainty and concerns over the Employment Rights Bill, new data shows.

New analysis warns the Chancellor’s non-dom tax plans rely on unrealistic assumptions about overseas assets and could leave a major hole in the public finances.

Northern Ireland faces new car shortages and higher motoring taxes as the Windsor Framework forces EU vehicle standards from January 2026.

The EU is expected to soften its planned 2035 ban on petrol and diesel cars, with hybrids likely to be allowed, sparking anger from green campaigners.

Leon has entered administration and will close loss-making restaurants as co-founder John Vincent seeks to restructure the fast-food chain amid rising costs and weak demand.

Evoke, owner of William Hill and 888, is exploring a potential sale as rising gambling taxes and debt pressures force a strategic review of the business.

The UK economy shrank by 0.1% in October as services stalled and construction output fell, with economists blaming pre-Budget uncertainty and weakening business confidence.

FOI data reveals the OBR faced 238,678 cyber attacks this year — up 162% — as a misconfigured WordPress system led to the Chancellor’s Budget leaking online, prompting the chair’s resignation and warnings over government cyber security.

The APPG on Investment Fraud and Fairer Financial Services has elected new officers, including chair John McDonnell MP, and outlined major priorities for 2026 focused on consumer protection, regulatory reform and tackling the UK’s financial “trust deficit.”

The UK live events sector has urged the Prime Minister to review Business Rates changes, warning hundreds of venues could close and ticket prices rise as valuations and tax multipliers surge.

Think tank IPPR says falling gilt yields show Rachel Reeves has restored market confidence, easing the UK’s risk premium and potentially saving taxpayers up to £7bn a year.

Goldman Sachs International co-head Kunal Shah says UK policy uncertainty, higher taxes and new employment rules are undermining SME confidence despite strong underlying optimism among entrepreneurs.