Tesco, B&Q and Whitbread scolded in minimum wage crackdown Retail Labour’s new workers’ rights police force has scolded Tesco, B&Q and Whitbread, and more than 600 other firms, for failing to pay the minimum wage. The Fair Work Agency has published the names of 658 companies which have been fined £7m and forced to return £4m to more than 27,000 workers who have not been [...]
‘They want business on board’: How Reform UK is wooing City chiefs at its conference Politics Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is on a mission to win over businesses before the next election. Maurício Alencar and Ali Lyon report on how the party’s upcoming conference in Birmingham could determine its political future. By the time Britain’s executives descend on the Reform UK party conference this week, many will already be well-acquainted with [...]
Vodafone and Deliveroo look to patch up Reform ties after Yusuf prison threats Politics Vodafone and Deliveroo will dispatch senior representatives to the Reform UK conference this week despite the party publicly threatening to send their bosses to prison. Telecoms giant Vodafone, operating under its UK banner Vodafonethree, will host a fringe event at the Reform’s annual jamboree even after home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf warned chief executive Margherita [...]
Serco chief hits back at New Statesman’s outsourcing jibes August 6, 2026 Serco’s boss has hit back at media criticism in the New Statesman and other outlets as the under-scrutiny firm boosted its sales and eyed more contract wins. The London-listed firm, which is one of Britain’s largest outsourcing companies running everything from bin collections to asylum accommodation, said it remained committed to bidding for contracts in [...]
Defence and immigration help Serco weather outsourcing pressure June 25, 2026 Serco said a boost in defence contracts and higher demand for its immigration services across Europe helped offset delays in its North America business, as it reiterated guidance for the year. The FTSE 250 outsourcing group said revenue for the first six months of the year is expected to rise around three per cent to [...]
Serco hits back after Zia Yusuf accuses FTSE 250 firm of being ‘hostile to Reform’ June 15, 2026 One of the UK government’s biggest private sector contractors has denied being hostile to Reform UK after the party’s home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf after accused it taking “political positions” against his immigration policy. Citing a report in the Telegraph that suggested FTSE 250 firm Serco would refuse to support Reform’s deportation plans if it [...]
Defence boosts Serco amid asylum hotel decline March 5, 2026 Government defence contracts helped Serco deliver a higher profit in 2025 despite a drop in the use of migrant hotels, once a key revenue stream for the London-listed company. Serco, an outsourcing company that covers government work on everything from migrant hotels to waste collection, was boosted by higher state expenditure both in the UK [...]
Serco: Defence spending pushes order pipeline to 10-year high August 7, 2025 Government services firm Serco’s order pipeline has risen to the highest in more than a decade as countries across Europe and North America ramp up their defence budgets. The firm’s pipeline stood at £11.9bn, up six per cent compared to the end of last year, with as much as 80 per cent of its order [...]
CBI on hunt for Soames successor July 3, 2025 The CBI has kicked off its hunt for a new chair to succeed Rupert Soames, the man credited with saving the lobby group from the brink of collapse. The UK’s business industry body has enlisted headhunters to help with the search for Soames’ successor in one of the most prominent roles in corporate Britain. Soames, [...]
Serco appoints new chair amid better than expected performance June 26, 2025 Serco has appointed Keith Williams as chair amid a period of strong growth boosted by government spending on defence and immigration. The Halfords chair will take over from John Rishton, who will have completed a nine-year tenure by the time he steps down in December. Williams said it was an “honour” to have been selected [...]