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 was previously a litigation reporter at The Lawyer. Contact her via email at maria.ward-brennan@cityam.com or X (Twitter) @MariaW_B.

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City of London Police chair: Fraud is ‘damaging the foundations of our nation’

September 10, 2025

The chair of the City of London Police Authority Board has warned that fraud is “damaging the foundations of our nation” and the UK must treat it with the same urgency as street crime. Speaking at the Police Authority Board dinner on Wednesday, City AM can reveal that Tijs Broeke told senior police, business, and [...]
Top Tory slams Anglo American’s move to relocate HQ to Canada

September 9, 2025

Anglo American will merge with Canada’s Teck Resources in a $50bn (£36bn) deal, shifting its headquarters to Canada and reducing its London presence in a move criticised by shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith. The Tory MP said it represents a blow to UK business and confidence in London. The new entity, to be called Anglo [...]
Tube strikes: RMT threatens Elizabeth Line disruption next

September 9, 2025

As Tube strikes stretch into a third day of disruption, the RMT trade union has now threatened to hit the Elizabeth Line with industrial action. From Sunday evening, tube drivers went on strike over the working hours of union members, who enjoy a salary of around £65,000, as RMT’s new boss Eddie Dempsey is demanding [...]
Burford Capital invests in London-based legal advisory firm

September 9, 2025

Dual-listed financial firm Burford Capital has made a minority investment in London-based Kindleworth as the firm seeks to invest in businesses that are “reshaping the legal landscape”. Founded in 2012, Kindleworth was launched as an advisory and consulting service to provide support to law firms, encompassing finance, compliance, technology, HR, operations, and marketing. Since its [...]
UK insurers face ‘data quality’ obstacles in AI adoption

September 9, 2025

British insurers are facing a bigger AI obstacle than expected, as poor quality data is preventing underwriters from accelerating adoption. A new report by tech firm CI&T, in collaboration with Reuters Events, revealed that nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of underwriters identified fragmented and unstructured data as the primary barrier to AI transformation. The next top [...]
Harman review: “Career-limiting or career-ending” sanctions needed for bully judges and predatory barristers

September 8, 2025

A damning report by Harriet Harman KC has found the Bar does “not always” uphold its high standards when it comes to bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment. Harman, chair of the Independent Review, stated in her 128-page report on the Bar that there is a “culture of impunity” for those at the top who engage [...]
Cross-party politicians urges Starmer to prioritise audit watchdog reform

September 8, 2025

The Prime Minister has been urged by 66 MPs and Lords in a cross-party alliance to prioritise the long-overdue Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill that was promised last year. In the King’s Speech in July 2024, the newly elected Labour government unshelved the Bill that would reform the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) into a [...]
Rayner out: What is happen next for Labour’s cabinet?

September 5, 2025

Following Angela Rayner’s resignation from her roles as deputy prime minister, housing secretary, and deputy leader of the Labour Party, what are the following steps to replace her? Rayner admitted to having underpaid stamp duty on her £800,000 seaside flat in Hove, and referred herself to the ethics watchdog Sir Laurie Magnus on Wednesday. On Friday, [...]
Rayner resigns: Legal advice excuse falls flat in tax duty scandal

September 5, 2025

Angela Rayner threw her lawyers under the bus over her brewing tax scandal, but the lawyers rebutted, citing the “arrows stuck” in their backs, as experts insisted she shouldn’t have hid “behind legal advice”. When it emerged that Rayner had underpaid £40,000 in tax on her £800,000 property in Hove, it prompted calls for her [...]
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 [...]

Starmer urges TNT Sports to air Champions League final for free

Enhanced Games sells drugs and true cost won’t be known for many years

Jinkx Monsoon’s Judy Garland musical proves drag is serious art

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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