By: Maria Ward-Brennan

Senior Reporter Maria Ward-Brennan is a senior reporter focused on law and professional services. Contact her via email on maria.ward-brennan@cityam.com or X (Twitter) @MariaW_B

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HMRC names barrister in tax avoidance list for first time

September 4, 2025

In an unprecedented move, HMRC has added a practising barrister, identified as the ‘designer’ of a tax avoidance scheme, to its list of tax avoidance promoters. Tax barrister Setu Kamal, with 20 years of experience, stands accused of designing four tax avoidance schemes and producing the contract templates crucial to their operation. Those schemes were [...]
Ex-wife of sanctioned former Russian PM wins divorce appeal

September 4, 2025

The former Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Potanin, is set to face a multi-billion-pound divorce case in England after his ex-wife won her case at the Court of Appeal today. Natalia Nikolaevna Potanina was married to Potanin for around thirty years before divorcing in Russia in 2014. However, she had argued that the Russian court’s [...]
Government launches consultation to ‘strengthen’ £100bn design sector

September 4, 2025

The UK government has launched its most extensive review of design protection in decades, aiming to modernise the system, tackle abuse, and support the nation’s £100bn design economy. The consultation was launched by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) as a result of problems facing the sector, including its reputation as ‘David vs Goliath’ for smaller [...]
Lloyd’s of London BluePrint Two delayed, again

September 4, 2025

The world’s leading insurance and reinsurance market, Lloyd’s of London, has delayed the rollout of its strategy to digitalise the market for the fourth time. Blueprint Two was launched six years ago, labelled an “ambitious strategy” by the market. The programme was pitched as delivering a “profound” change in the market through digitalisation. Lloyd’s, together [...]
Has the legal market pulled the brakes on the NQ pay war?

September 4, 2025

‘City lawyers are the new bankers‘. This became a common refrain in the legal market as pay wars ramped up. However, the sentiment within the market suggests that the tide may be changing. Over the past several years, the pay war over newly qualified (NQ) lawyers has been a major talking point in the market, [...]
Geopolitical instability hits the bottom line as businesses suffer investment losses

September 3, 2025

Businesses have suffered losses in international projects or investments due to geopolitical and economic risks, with interest in political risk insurance (PRI) soaring as a result. According to a new report by insurer Howden, over half of the companies surveyed, comprising around 500 senior risk and treasury function decision-makers, reported suffering a political loss to [...]
Employment Bill: Here is everything that has happened since its inception

September 3, 2025

The third reading of the Employment Rights Bill, a controversial piece of legislation, commenced at the House of Lords on Wednesday. Rushed out within 100 days of Labour taking office, the Bill has faced fierce debate and criticism from multiple stakeholders. The Bill, which formed a significant part of Labour’s manifesto, was laid before Parliament [...]
Private healthcare admissions surge as calls for VAT raid grow

September 2, 2025

The number of hospital admissions using private healthcare in the first quarter of the year has bounced back to its pre-pandemic peak. The latest Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) data on private healthcare admissions published today revealed that the total number of admissions in the first quarter of 2025 was 241,000. Despite the figure being [...]
Small-tier accountancy firms facing worst talent crisis in years

September 2, 2025

Small to mid-tier accountancy firms are facing “serious” barriers to growth due to staffing shortages, according to a damning new report into the sector. According to figures from outsourcing specialists Advancetrack, 94 per cent of firms say recruitment issues are now holding back growth, forcing them to outsource work overseas. These figures represent an increase [...]
Justice secretary granted new veto powers over ‘independent’ public body

September 2, 2025

The justice secretary has been granted the power to sign off on any new guidelines for prison sentences as part of a push for Parliament to have a say in the justice system, following political backlash earlier this year. As part of the Sentencing Bill, set to be introduced to the House of Commons today, [...]

Sports hospitality giant chaired by England cricket chief launches £350m plan

London Marathon could have 100,000 runners in 2027

Teeth ‘N’ Smiles review: Self Esteem is magnetic in dated show

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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