By: Maria Ward-Brennan

Professional Services Editor Maria Ward-Brennan is the Professional Services Editor at City AM, focused on law, Big Four, and other management and accounting consulting firms. She edits the Beyond The Billable newsletter and column. She was previously a litigation reporter at The Lawyer. Contact her via email at maria.ward-brennan@cityam.com or on X @MariaW_B.

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Budget 2026: Healey grants HMRC sweeping powers to chase tax debts

October 28, 2026

John Healey has given HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) more funding and sweeping powers “to collect overdue tax from those who can clearly afford to pay but ignore repeated contact”, in yet another clampdown on tax debts. The move marks a major expansion of the taxman’s power and comes amid the government’s push to stamp [...]
Why consulting giants aren’t quaking at Anthropic’s new AI venture

October 28, 2026

Consulting firms have long focused on advising clients on adopting new tech, but now the biggest AI giant seems to be keen to adopt advisory skills, as the consultancy sector continues to pivot, writes Maria Ward-Brennan Last week it was revealed that Anthropic, the company behind some of the world’s most advanced AI models, plans [...]
EY partner pay jumps to £870k despite consulting slump

October 27, 2026

Big Four giant EY posted a two per cent rise in UK fee income over the past year and hiked payouts for its partners, even as its consulting arm came under pressure from what it said was a “challenging market”. For the financial year ending 3 July 2026, the firm reported UK fee income of [...]
HW Fisher sanctioned over GFG Alliance audit lapses

October 27, 2026

The watchdog has fined HW Fisher LLP and one of its partners £200,000 for serious professional failures during an audit of Liberty Commodities, a group within metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said HW Fisher LLP and lead auditor Simon Mott-Cowan showed a pervasive lack of “professional scepticism” during the [...]
Top court rejects Tesco appeal in ‘equal pay’ case

October 23, 2026

The Supreme Court has blocked Tesco from appealing a key ruling in a long-running equal pay claim brought by more than 16,000 shop workers. Tesco is one of several UK supermarkets caught in a legal battle over allegations that it underpays its store workers, mainly women, compared with distribution centre workers, who are mostly men. [...]
Anthropic partners with British private equity firm to launch consultancy arm

October 23, 2026

Anthropic is launching a new AI consultancy business in Europe after partnering with London-based private equity firm Hg, according to reports. The company behind some of the world’s most advanced AI models is expected to launch its consultancy firm by the end of the year, the Financial Times reported, set to be based in London [...]
Deloitte to create new jobs with launch of regional deals unit

October 22, 2026

Deloitte is set to create up to 100 new jobs across the North of England with the launch of a specialised regional deals unit, in the latest sign that firms are eager to capitalise on the Prime Minister’s national growth agenda. The Big Four firm said on Thursday it plans to create up to 100 [...]
See you in court (eventually): Labour’s dumping problems on broken Tribunals

October 22, 2026

Since coming to power, Labour has passed some hefty laws, including its landmark renters’ rights reform and employment overhaul, but they aren’t giving voters more power; they’re passing them onto the already backlogged Tribunal system, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. One of the main reforms in focus is the Renters’ Rights Act, which came into force in [...]
Supreme Court blocks Scottish Power’s £28m tax write-off

October 21, 2026

The Supreme Court has ruled that the energy giant, Scottish Power, cannot deduct £28m in regulatory settlement payments from its taxable corporate profits after a lengthy legal battle with HMRC. The legal case stems from a probe by the energy regulator Ofgem into Scottish Power between 2013 and 2016 regarding mis-selling, poor complaints handling, and [...]
Accounting watchdog launches enquiries into Man City auditor BDO

October 21, 2026

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is considering launching a formal probe into Manchester City’s accounts and its external auditor BDO, after the club was found to have breached the Premier League’s financial rules. In a letter to the government’s business committee, penned by the newly appointed chair, Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, the FRC said it is [...]

Women’s football doesn’t need to become men’s football to succeed

Women’s football doesn’t need to become men’s football to succeed

The Capitalist: City AM reporter gets royal trashing by AI slop

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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