Possible tax hikes for LLPs in Budget may ‘distort’ the market and push firms overseas Prof Services Despite the professional services sector dodging tax hikes on LLPs in last year’s Budget, it remains unclear whether Chancellor John Healey will impose tax changes this time round, but Rosie Harris-Davison writes that experts have warned against any tax burdens on the sector. In the lead-up to last year’s Budget, whispers circulated for weeks that [...]
Anthropic partners with British private equity firm to launch consultancy arm Prof Services Anthropic is launching a new AI consultancy business in Europe after partnering with London-based private equity firm Hg, according to reports. The company behind some of the world’s most advanced AI models is expected to launch its consultancy firm by the end of the year, the Financial Times reported, set to be based in London [...]
Accenture eyes sale of Chinese operations for up to $1.5bn Prof Services Consultancy giant Accenture is eyeing a potential sale of its Chinese business operations for up to $1.5bn. The world’s largest publicly traded IT consultancy has hired JPMorgan to work on a strategic review of its Chinese business after receiving unsolicited interest in it over the past year, the Financial Times reported. Accenture’s Greater China unit [...]
Big Four scoop £1.5bn in government contracts despite Labour’s pledge to cut spend October 15, 2026 The Big Four have collectively secured over £1.5bn in public contracts so far this year despite the UK government’s pledge to cut spending on external consultants to save taxpayers’ money. An investigation by market intelligence platform Tussell found the government has awarded KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PwC over £1.5bn in contracts so far in 2026, [...]
McKinsey senior partner demoted over controversial social media post October 12, 2026 Management consulting giant McKinsey & Company has stripped one of its directors at its business and economics research arm of his leadership role after his post on LinkedIn about the battle female executives face in the workplace. Chris Bradley, a senior partner in Australia, was removed from leadership roles after an internal review of his [...]
Dutch consulting disruptor takes aim at City’s ‘five-to-one’ markup October 7, 2026 Sweav, a Dutch-founded freelance consulting platform, is launching in the UK to challenge the traditional professional services sector on pricing. Speaking to City AM, Joeri Schouten, co-founder of Sweav, said: “The UK is the biggest professional services market in Europe [but] the culture is still much more traditional, very hierarchical, and has an even more [...]
The sugar rush is over: The Big Four must wake up from their pandemic dream September 30, 2026 The pandemic was the worst thing that could have happened to the Big Four giants and the overall consultancy market. At the time, these firms were flying high, flooded with inquiries from businesses needing help to navigate the ‘once-in-a-lifetime ‘ event, but this ‘sugar rush’ didn’t last forever, and it gave the industry a false [...]
Deloitte UK advisory arm rebounds to growth as new boss insists AI ‘can’t replace lived experience’ September 30, 2026 Big Four giant Deloitte’s new UK boss, Darren Graves, insisted AI “can’t replace lived experience” as the firm’s advisory arms return to growth. Revenue for the year ended 31 May 2026 for the UK arm was up 2 per cent to £5.81bn, with growth across all businesses. The firm’s technology and transformation arm led with 4 [...]
Grant Thornton takes on Big Four giants with new £40K salary for London grads September 29, 2026 Grant Thornton has raised its London graduate starting salary to £40,000 and introduced “milestone bonuses” into the pay structure as part of the firm’s ambition for significant growth. The private equity-backed firm has overhauled its early careers programme, first reported by City AM in April, and will offer ‘market-leading’ starting salaries to London juniors of £40,000 from [...]
Claire’s Accessories administrators hand creditors nearly £10m bill September 22, 2026 The administrators of collapsed jewellery retailer Claire’s Accessories have billed nearly £10m for their work, with bosses charging more than £1,500 per hour. The retail chain collapsed for the second time in January, just months after private equity firm Modella Capital bought it out of administration last September. The double collapse of Claire’s looks set [...]