Incoming FRC chair sits on board of construction group facing criminal probe Accountancy The woman in line to become chair of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) sits on the board of a company currently under criminal investigation, City AM can reveal. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia was named by the government last month as the next chair of the accounting watchdog and is set to take over in September when [...]
Stop burying us in swollen corporate reports, says audit watchdog boss Accountancy The boss of the audit watchdog has warned that the size of annual reports has swelled out of control, costing directors too much time. Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the Financial Reporting Council, said the costs and expectations surrounding annual reports have steadily ballooned as more companies devote pages to environmental, social and governance issues [...]
Watchdog probes KPMG over Wood Group audit Business The audit watchdog has opened an investigation into Big Four giant KPMG and two accountants over the accounts belonging to engineering and consulting firm John Wood Group. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) revealed on Thursday that it officially launched two separate regulatory investigations concerning the financial reporting and statutory auditing of the former London-listed group. [...]
Grant Thornton partners pocket £35m from private equity deal July 28, 2026 Equity partners at professional services giant Grant Thornton’s UK arm received a £35.2m payout after a large stake in the firm was bought by private equity-backer Cinven. According to Companies House filings, as seen by City AM, a considerable one-time payout of £35.2m was made to “certain individuals” who are equity partners at the firm. [...]
EY and London managing partner fined over £1.3m for audit failure July 28, 2026 Big Four giant EY and its London office managing partner have been hit with a nearly £1.3m fine by the financial watchdog for audit failings related to retailer Made.com in 2021. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said the sanction follows an investigation into Julie Carlyle, who manages the City office and a portfolio of many [...]
Regulator flags BDO’s ‘unacceptable’ audit issues for fifth year in a row July 22, 2026 Accountancy giant BDO has been flagged for an “unacceptable” standard of audit quality by the watchdog for a fifth year in a row. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said in its yearly audit quality report that BDO’s overall audit quality fell below expected standards and “has received unsatisfactory results from regulatory inspections” consistently for five [...]
PwC slapped with multi-million fine for audit failures at FTSE 100 firm Babcock July 16, 2026 Big Four giant PwC and a former partner have been fined over £5.5m for the audit failures of London-listed engineering giant Babcock International. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) issued disciplinary action against the firm and its audit partner, John Waters, following numerous serious audit breaches during the financial years 2019 and 2020 audits of the [...]
FRC Chair-in-waiting grilled over holding seven other board roles July 15, 2026 MPs have raised concerns over whether the former chief executive of Virgin Money can realistically juggle her role as Chair of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) alongside seven other board and chair positions. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia was named by the government on Monday as the next Chair of the accounting watchdog, set to take over [...]
Former Virgin Money chief set to lead Financial Reporting Council July 13, 2026 The former chief executive of Virgin Money has been selected as the government’s preferred candidate to lead the UK’s accountancy regulator following the expected departure of Sir Jan du Plessis. Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia was named by Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle to replace du Plessis for a four-year term overseeing the Financial Reporting Council [...]
Battersea Power Station misreporting claims scrutinised by accounting watchdog July 10, 2026 The City’s accounting watchdog is scrutinising claims of financial misreporting at Battersea Power Station after the former chief executive alleged he was dismissed from his role for blowing the whistle on inflated property valuations, City AM understands. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is reportedly looking at claims made by the former boss of the iconic [...]