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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Regulator unveils major overhaul to its audit supervision

March 25, 2026

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is introducing a major overhaul of its audit supervisory model, aiming to replace the current system with one designed to enhance audit quality. The accountancy watchdog is moving its primary focus to a system of quality management (SoQM), placing firm-wide quality controls at the heart of its new supervisory activity. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks soar as Trump claims ‘victory’ in Iran; Economists clash on inflation

March 25, 2026

Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Fresh figures this morning revealed inflation rose three per cent in the year to February 2026, unchanged from the 12 months to January 2026. Grant Fitzner said: “The largest upwards driver was the price of clothing, which rose this month but fell a year ago. “This was offset [...]
Crispin Odey tells court sacked receptionist was ‘dismissed for being a flirt’

March 24, 2026

Hedge fund tycoon Crispin Odey took the stand at the High Court in his case against the City watchdog, as he faced questions over his alleged behaviour toward young female employees at his eponymous hedge fund. Odey said he had a “very flirtatious relationship” with one of the women who alleged sexual harassment against him, [...]
Ex-Battersea Power Station boss takes owners to court over dismissal

March 19, 2026

The former boss of Battersea Power Station has launched legal action against the owners of the iconic London landmark after being dismissed from his role in May. A £9bn project has transformed Battersea Power Station from a disused, decommissioned site to a 42-acre estate with 2,000 homes and 60 companies in under a decade. Don O’Sullivan, formerly [...]
Lloyd’s profits surge as Tiernan charts course for ‘efficiency’ era

March 19, 2026

Lloyd’s of London has reported a pre-tax profit of £10.6bn, over a 10 per cent increase from the previous year, as its chief executive launches its new five-year strategy. Its gross written premiums climb to £57.9bn, up over 4 per cent. This was driven by volume growth as new syndicates joined the market; however, for [...]
Sun, money and missiles: The dilemma facing British lawyers in the UAE

March 19, 2026

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ranks among the most popular international destinations for British lawyers, to say nothing of influencers, but has the Iranian war burst the bubble? Based on the latest reports from the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for 2025 and early 2026, there are around 500 to 700 English [...]
AI will not replace auditors’ judgment, says regulator chief

March 19, 2026

The rise of AI presents a critical moment for the accountancy profession to prove that its “value-add” goes beyond tasks that can be automated, according to the industry’s watchdog boss. Speaking to City AM, Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), said that with every technological shift, the accountancy sector loses low-level [...]
Reeves broke “promises” on farmer inheritance tax reforms, court hears

March 17, 2026

Rachel Reeves “broke promises” when she failed to consult over changes to inheritance tax (IHT) reliefs in her first Autumn Budget, a court has heard. The Chancellor’s proposed changes to agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) represent one of the biggest shifts in IHT policy in decades. In the 2024 Autumn Budget, [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks inch up; Gas prices surge after drone attacks

March 17, 2026

Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The FTSE 100 closed up 0.5 per cent yesterday, settling at 10,317.69p led by a three per cent jump in Endeavour Mining. It came as global markets were brought some reprieve from declining oil prices. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil [...]
Brits fleeing Dubai could trigger ‘surprise’ UK tax bills

March 16, 2026

British expats returning to the UK from the Middle East over safety concerns as a result of the war in Iran could face “hidden tax costs”. The British expat population in the UAE is among the largest outside the UK, with estimates of 130,000 to 240,000 British nationals living and working in Dubai and Abu [...]

Starmer blocks sleaze inquiry despite Tory and Labour pressure

NBA and EuroLeague hold ‘constructive’ talks over NBA Europe cooperation

These are the best bottles of wine to buy for the warmer weather

By: Maria Ward-Brennan

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