£4.5bn black market cigarette tax loss should be ‘a major wake-up call’ for Labour June 4, 2026 Over half of cigarettes smoked in the UK are black market and are contributing £4.5bn to the country’s tax losses – a record high – according to new analysis from KPMG and tobacco giant Philip Morris. The findings show that 1.5bn more black-market, tax-free cigarettes were consumed by UK smokers last year compared to 2024, [...]
Lex Greensill banned as company director for nine years after multi-billion-pound collapse June 4, 2026 The UK Insolvency Service has confirmed that financier Lex Greensill will face a nine-year ban from serving as a company director, after he signed a legally binding disqualification undertaking to resolve long-running enforcement proceedings just days before a scheduled High Court trial. The Insolvency Service, which opened its probe into him in 2022, filed a [...]
Kirkland & Ellis partners with Palantir for AI-driven private equity work June 4, 2026 The world’s largest law firm by revenue, Kirkland & Ellis, has agreed to partner with tech giant Palantir to create an AI tool to use in advising private equity firms. The US-based firm, which has a large City office, said the multi-year partnership will deploy technology to share the expertise of its leading partners with [...]
Mishcon de Reya to roll out new ‘bonus boost’ for associates June 4, 2026 City law firm Mishcon de Reya is offering its staff a ‘bonus boost’ for working additional hours to remain competitive in the legal pay race, City AM understands. The law firm has added a new ‘bonus boost’ to its pay structure, which will take effect in July 2027, for lawyers who record hours significantly above [...]
Betfair to be probed in court over online betting liability June 3, 2026 Betfair is due to be scrutinised in court tomorrow over its duty of care in relation to the dangers of online gambling and betting following a problem gambler’s suicide. The online gambling giant, owned by Irish-American betting giant owned by Flutter Entertainment, will face questions over claims it failed to identify Luke Ashton’s gambling addiction [...]
Staff burnout soars in professional services due to inefficiencies and outdated IT June 3, 2026 More than a quarter of client-facing staff at professional services firms are wasting a large portion of their working week on manual administrative tasks rather than core client work, according to new research by Unit4. The report, commissioned by Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC), on global mid-to-large professional services firms, including those in the UK, revealed [...]
UK law clears hurdle for airlines to ban unruly passengers from travelling June 2, 2026 Airlines and the UK government are eyeing a proposal to create a national blacklist of disruptive passengers using their personal data, potentially curbing their access to flights. The scheme, currently being developed by officials from the Department for Transport and the Home Office, would require airlines to notify the government when a passenger is disruptive. [...]
Patagonia faces PR backlash over trademark lawsuit with drag queen June 2, 2026 Patagonia is in hot water over its legal action against a drag queen, but as lawyers suggest, businesses face a double-edged sword when it comes to protecting their trademarks. A drag queen artist and environmentalist, Wyn Wiley, was sued by the US outdoor retailer Patagonia, which alleged the performer violated its trademark by going professionally [...]
Richard Desmond hit with £40m bill over ‘fanciful’ lottery feud June 1, 2026 Media tycoon Richard Desmond’s company Northern and Shell has been ordered to pay over £40m after a two-year-long legal feud with the Gambling Commission over the 2022 National Lottery license. A High Court judge has ordered media giant Northern and Shell and its subsidiary, the New Lottery Company, to cough up 75 per cent of [...]
Deloitte and KPMG challenge PwC’s iron grip on FTSE 100 clients June 1, 2026 For the first time in nearly eight years, three of the Big Four giants, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, are locked in a dead heat for FTSE 100 client dominance. A boardroom reshuffle has loosened PwC’s iron grip on clients from London’s blue-chip index, forcing a historic three-way tie at the top of the FTSE 100 [...]