Employment Bill sparks SME fear over costs and red tape September 2, 2025 Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have voiced growing concerns over the government’s sweeping Employment Rights Bill, warning that the reforms could place a disproportionate strain on firms already grappling with rising costs and a challenging economic climate. The legislation, billed as the most significant upgrade to workplace protections in a generation, is due for its third reading [...]
Peter Kyle defends UK free speech record after US report attacks Online Safety Act August 14, 2025 Tech secretary Peter Kyle has pushed back against a damning US government report accusing the UK of backsliding on human rights and curbing freedom of expression under Labour. The annual State Department dossier, published on Tuesday, warned that Britain’s human rights record had “worsened during the year” amid “serious restrictions on freedom of expression”, and [...]
City regulators’ growth mandate ‘pointless’ without major reform June 13, 2025 The “entrenched culture of risk aversion” at the City’s two flagship regulators has stymied meaningful progress on their mandates to aid economic growth, a House of Lords report has argued, despite persistent pressure from Westminster for them to boost UK competitiveness. In a withering assessment of the efforts made by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) [...]
‘Stewardship shouldn’t feel like box-ticking’ – FRC chief June 3, 2025 FRC chief executive exclusively shared with City AM his main focus of overhauling its key City code was "reducing the reporting burden"
Keir Starmer vows to cut costs for business and ‘unleash’ private sector March 17, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to cut costs for businesses and “unleash the power of the private sector” in a bid to deliver economic growth. Writing for City AM the Prime Minister described it as “an outrage” that the government “does not know how much it costs business to comply with the regulations imposed on [...]
Reeves ramps up pressure on regulators in plan to slash red tape March 17, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has summoned regulators to Downing Street today as part of the government’s plan to slash red tape. At the meeting, Reeves will announce further detail on how the government will be cutting regulations, while setting out plans to slim down or abolish regulators. “Today we are taking further action to free businesses [...]
Keir Starmer to pledge red tape rollback in bid to ‘reshape the state’ March 12, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer is expected to pledge to slash red tape for businesses in a bid to “reshape the state” of the UK amid what he will call a new “era of instability”. The Prime Minister is set to make an announcement on Thursday about his plans to reform the British state, cut regulation, and [...]
How the accounting watchdog is looking to unleash the City November 11, 2024 As Richard Moriarty gripped the sides of a podium and spoke freely from a sheet of bullet points at the London Stock Exchange in September, a warmth was stirring among certain City executives in the room. The tie-less career regulator, boss of the audit watchdog, the Financial Reporting Council, laid out his plans to shake [...]
Let’s be honest, all regulation – even hedgehog holes – costs public money June 27, 2024 All the parties have pledged additional regulations, but the costs of these largely go unchecked, writes Matthew Lesh.
UK ‘risks being left behind’ as red tape choked tech start-ups, new report warns May 23, 2024 The UK “risks being left behind” as red tape is choking the potential of UK tech start ups, a new report has warned.