Reeves’ £1.2bn consultancy savings plan in doubt, watchdog warns March 11, 2026 Despite Rachel Reeves’ focus on cutting government spending on external consultancy services, a damning report stated that the government is unable to set meaningful targets to reduce its reliance on external firms. The UK government has said it wants to put an immediate stop to all non-essential consultancy spending and halve consultancy spending in future [...]
Graduate jobs crisis: Here’s who is actually still hiring in 2026 February 25, 2026 The job market is looking bleak. For recent graduates it’s not just a downturn, but a great big wall blocking off access to an early career. But in a vicious, Darwinian struggle for a meagre handful of jobs, there could still be advantages for grads. The whippersnapper hiring slowdown is a many-headed beast, but the [...]
Big Four consulting giants pivot to ‘high-growth verticals’ amid AI disruption February 24, 2026 Following news of Deloitte’s latest expansion, experts predict a wave of restructuring and a “high-growth vertical” focus across the Big Four giants. On Monday, Deloitte revealed its plans to launch a Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) firm, aiming to build a regional powerhouse that keeps pace with rapid technological change. The new firm will [...]
Big Four giant Deloitte forms $20bn EMEA unit amid tech disruption February 23, 2026 Deloitte, one of the Big Four, plans to launch a Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) firm, aiming to build a regional powerhouse that keeps pace with rapid technological change. After a successful partner vote, Deloitte announced on Monday that the new EMEA firm will launch in June 2026. Deloitte EMEA will bring together 16 [...]
KPMG partner fined for using AI to cheat on internal training February 16, 2026 A partner at the Big Four firm KPMG has been fined $10,000 (£7,200) for using AI to cheat in an internal training course meant to test knowledge of the technology. KPMG Australia has forced an unnamed audit partner to redo a test after they uploaded training materials to an AI platform to help answer AI-related [...]
EY avoids judgment in £2bn case as Alvarez & Marsal reach ‘confidential agreement’ February 2, 2026 The mammoth legal fight against the Big Four giant EY over its auditing of a former London-listed health giant that collapsed amid fraud allegations has been withdrawn following a settlement. Private hospital operator NMC Health Plc collapsed in April 2020 after being placed into administration, and was delisted from the London Stock Exchange in the [...]
KPMG posts strong revenue growth in first UK-Swiss results January 28, 2026 Big Four giant KPMG has reported revenue of £3.6bn for its year ended 30 September 2025, in its first year of results since the combination of its UK and Swiss businesses. These are the firm’s first results following the merger of the UK and Swiss businesses on 1 October 2024, which showed revenue rose to [...]
CVC-backed Teneo establishes New Zealand footprint via PwC deal January 13, 2026 Advisory firm Teneo is to acquire PwC New Zealand’s business restructuring services unit as part of its Asia-Pacific expansion strategy. The deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close at the end of February 2026, will see 22 members of PwC New Zealand’s business restructuring services team join Teneo. This [...]
City watchdog fines ex-Carillion finance chiefs for market manipulation January 7, 2026 The City watchdog has fined the former finance directors of collapsed construction firm Carillion for their role in making “misleading” statements from the company. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said both Richard Adam and Zafar Khan were aware of “serious financial troubles” in Carillion’s UK business but failed to reflect this in company announcements. Adam [...]
EY extends global HQ stay on Thames January 6, 2026 Big Four giant EY has renewed the lease on its global headquarters until 2040. The firm’s UK and global HQ is at 1 More London Place, whose lease was set to expire in 2028 before the firm greenlit a contract renewal. The ten-storey building on the south bank of the River Thames, with 35,000 sq [...]