England Ashes fans set to top up Australia’s coffers months after bumper British and Irish Lions tour
After a year as Chancellor, Rachel Reeves has flunked her growth mission September 2, 2025 Rachel Reeves may not get an official exam transcript, but the numbers categorically show she's flunked her growth mission.
Tax crackdown drives rise in compulsory liquidations August 19, 2025 Company directors are “feeling the impact” of HMRC’s crackdown on unpaid taxes as compulsory liquidations spiked by 11 per cent in the year to July 2025, official data has shown. More bosses wound up their businesses last month than had done so in June, with creditors’ voluntary liquidations still driving insolvencies across the UK. But [...]
Labour lines up advisers for Thames Water administration August 12, 2025 Labour ministers have reached out to top insolvency practitioners in the scenario Thames Water falls into special administration, it has been reported. The UK’s largest water company is at a crisis point after private equity giant KKR pulled out of a multi-billion pound investment deal that could have offered it a lifeline given Thames Water [...]
Dragons’ Den athlete sentenced for using Covid loans to buy £1m house July 23, 2025 A British world champion sprinter who appeared on Dragons’ Den has been given a suspended prison sentenced after using Covid loans to help fund a £1.3m house purchase. Rick Beardsell, who competed on the senior Masters circuit, obtained two maximum-value £50,000 Bounce Back Loans for his sportswear manufacturing business Sports Creative Limited in 2020 and [...]
Insolvencies ease in signs of UK businesses’ resilience July 18, 2025 Insolvencies declined slightly in June in signs UK businesses under pressure from higher costs have weathered through tax rises and low national spirits. In new data published by the Insolvency Service, company insolvencies fell by eight per cent in June compared to the month before. The number of insolvencies – 2,043 – was also 16 [...]
Game over for Tomb Raider composer after Covid loan fraud conviction July 18, 2025 A video game composer and sound designer best know for his work on the Tomb Raider series has been jailed for fraudulently applying for a Covid loan. Peter Connelly, who is based in Durham, overstated his company’s turnover to obtain a second Bounce Back Loan of £37,500 in 2020 when businesses were only entitled to [...]
Companies House crackdown: 11,500 firms struck off July 17, 2025 Over 11,000 UK firms have been struck off the Companies House register over the past year following a coordinated crackdown on corporate structures suspected of facilitating fraud, money laundering and other economic crime. The operation, led by the National Economic Crime Centre and supported by the National Crime Agency, Companies House, HMRC, and several UK [...]
Government calls for investigation as Lindsey refinery owner folds July 1, 2025 The government has called for an urgent investigation after the group behind one of Britain’s largest oil refineries collapsed into administration, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. State Oil – the parent company of Prax Group, which owns the Lindsey refinery in North Lincolnshire – appointed administrators on Monday. A separate winding-up order has also [...]
Retail and construction lead insolvencies as UK firms in ‘perilous position’ June 20, 2025 Wholesale and retail traders and construction firms accounted for nearly a third of all insolvencies seen in the 12 months to April. Data published by the Insolvency Service has pointed to a further concerning trend in the UK economy as the number of companies insolvencies in May grew eight per cent month-on-month. The number of [...]
Rob Cross: Darts star banned as director over unpaid tax of £450,000 June 5, 2025 Darts star Rob Cross has been banned from being a company director for five years after his company failed to pay almost half a million pounds in tax. Cross, who won the World Championship in 2018 and is one of the leading names on the elite PDC tour, owed HMRC £465,403 when his company went [...]