Companies House disciplined over 100 staff for compliance breaches March 24, 2026 Over a hundred members of staff at under-fire Companies House faced disciplinary action for compliance breaches in the last three years. Fresh figures from a Freedom of Information request reveal the UK’s registry body for companies took action against 131 staff since December 2022. The disciplinary measures were a result of breaches relating to the [...]
Manic Monday: How Trump rocked global markets March 23, 2026 President Donald Trump sent global markets on a rollercoaster ride as traders were left stunned by mixed messages coming from the US administration and the Iranian regime. The Brent Crude oil price was trading around $114 per barrel before Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he was pausing strikes due to “productive” [...]
Starmer admits defence upgrade doesn’t have enough funding March 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has admitted the government’s proposed defence plan does not have enough as he vowed to “resolve” the rift between the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence. The Prime Minister admitted a target to raise spending on defence from 2.5 per cent of GDP in 2027 to 3.5 per cent in 2035 required [...]
How the Bank of England will read into outdated inflation data March 23, 2026 Can data be redundant? The Office for National Statistics will this week give the impression that inflation is stable. Economists have predicted the consumer price index inflation print for the year to February to come in at three per cent, like last month, which would have otherwise made for satisfactory reading. But the figures precede [...]
MoD looks to hire AI chief on £185,000 – just don’t use it in your application March 23, 2026 The Ministry of Defence is on the search for a new AI chief to put the UK on a tech war footing. The MoD said its new chief AI officer would be in charge of leading an in-house technology centre and bringing AI into operation across the military for “maximum impact”. The London-based job will [...]
Small businesses ‘dismayed’ at HMRC plan to tighten tax rules March 23, 2026 Small businesses are “dismayed” at the prospect of tax rules being tightened under new proposals set out by HMRC. The rules, which are subject to a consultation, would require close companies, which are defined as firms controlled by five or fewer individuals, to provide HMRC with details of all transactions between the company and its [...]
Trump’s call to pause strikes in Iran boosts markets March 23, 2026 Global markets leaped on news that President Trump paused strikes on Iranian infrastructure as he hinted that negotiations had been “very good and productive”. Brent crude – the international benchmark for oil prices – plunged back to below $100 per barrle after having jumped to $112 earlier in the day. The FTSE 100 also rose [...]
Pagefield owner PPHC ramps up political consultancy with WPI acquisition March 23, 2026 AIM-listed consultancy firm PPHC has ramped up its politics offering after acquiring government relations business WPI Strategy. Founded in 2014, WPI turns over around £2.5m per year and counts the likes of London City Airport, Microsoft, Pension Insurance Corporation, and Vodafone Three among its clients. The company, which counts a number of former Labour advisers [...]
Starmer vows to use ‘every lever’ to protect Brits from damage to UK economy March 23, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to use “every lever” to prevent households from being hit by higher energy prices amid growing fears the Iran war is wreaking havoc on the UK economy. On Monday morning, the Prime Minister suggested an emergency Cobra meeting between the most senior government ministers and the Bank of England governor [...]
Ministers are sacrificing growth for votes, say top business bosses March 23, 2026 Government ministers have undermined the UK’s long-term economic interests by becoming “trapped” into making poor short-term policy decisions to appease voters, Britain’s top business bosses have warned. The group of corporate leaders, which include Natwest chair Rick Haythornthwaite, Heathrow chair Philip Jansen and Barratt Redrow chair Caroline Silver, said successive governments have failed to prioritise [...]