New inheritance tax rules will drastically change pension use October 16, 2026 New inheritance tax rules will drastically alter how people use their pensions, and put a lot of individuals in difficult positions, writes Steve Gauke.
‘Absurd’: Pension savers refunded £188m after HMRC overtaxes withdrawals October 16, 2026 Tens of thousands of taxpayers were handed money back from HMRC last year after savers had too much tax deducted from their pension withdrawals, City AM can reveal. HMRC processed 54,166 pension withdrawal repayments in the 2025/26 financial year, worth around £188m, according to figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request. During the financial [...]
Nvidia’s $250m UK AI bet sparks warning over ‘foreign dependence’ October 15, 2026 Nvidia’s $250m investment in the UK’s AI safety research risks deepening the country’s dependence on American tech unless ministers ensure researchers retain control over safety standards, analysts have warned. The world’s most valuable company has pledged $50m a year in computing power over five years to support British research into autonomous AI agents, alongside plans [...]
Labour will ‘live to regret’ scrapping triple lock, shadow pension minister warns October 15, 2026 The shadow pensions minister has warned Andy Burnham that he will “live to regret” scrapping the triple lock on the state pension to pay for his new National Care Service. Speaking at the annual Pensions UK conference on Wednesday, Helen Whately argued Burnham has created a new financial challenge through his commitment to drop the [...]
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, [...]
Starling warns UK risks being ‘second in the queue’ on AI October 15, 2026 Britain risks becoming “second in the queue” for AI unless it invests more in domestic infrastructure, a government AI adviser has warned, as Starling Bank becomes the first lender to train an AI model on a UK sovereign cloud. Harriet Rees, Starling’s chief information officer and the Treasury’s AI champion for financial services, warned that [...]
Healey promises Budget will ‘meet the moment’ October 15, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has promised that the Budget will “meet the moment” as rising costs are set to hamper households and businesses over the next few months. In interviews in Bangkok for the International Monetary Fund’s meetings, Healey said he had acted from “week one” to relieve pressures facing businesses and households with a blitz [...]
Salesforce offers free AI tools to UK students as graduate job market lags October 15, 2026 As UK graduate vacancies hit their lowest level since 2020, Salesforce is offering free AI tools to six million students to help them meet employers’ growing demand for artificial intelligence skills. The US tech giant announced the scheme on Thursday, giving universities and colleges access to its workplace platform Slack and AI tools to help [...]
UK economy slows yet beats expectations October 15, 2026 The UK economy slowed in August but beat market expectations after a boost in the production sector, according to official statistics. GDP expanded by 0.1 per cent in August following several months of high growth. A poll of economists by Bloomberg predicted that the UK economy had contracted by 0.1 per cent in August. Figures [...]
‘Nothing can stop it’ – The state expands like the horror film Blob October 15, 2026 The 1958 classic horror film The Blob scored mixed reviews on its release, with critics lamenting the poor acting and weak dialogue. Posters for the movie warned that the alien blob “devours everything in its path” and “nothing can stop it” – which is why, half a century later, Michael Gove resurrected and popularised the [...]