The Building Safety Regulator’s near-impossible balancing act July 10, 2025 Originally implemented to tackle safety concerns in light of the devastating Grenfell fire, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has now been accused of hamstringing developments in the capital. Delays in the system are currently “undermining investor confidence” in the sector, “holding back the delivery of new homes and adding to uncertainty for residents”, head of [...]
Arrests made after M&S, Co-op and Harrods cyber attacks July 10, 2025 Four people, including three teenagers and a 20-year-old woman, have been arrested in connection with a wave of cyber attacks that crippled M&S, the Co-op and Harrods. The group allegedly unleashed ransomware that stole millions of customer records, shut down online orders and left supermarket shelves bare. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the individuals [...]
Protecting the truth in a shifting communications compliance environment July 10, 2025 The UK financial services landscape has undergone a seismic transformation over the past 15 years, necessitating adaptation to emerging technologies, a rapidly changing policy environment, and new client expectations.
Number of affordable homes started in London plummets July 10, 2025 The number of affordable homes underway in the capital has fallen far short of expectations as tight regulations and cost pressures make sites unviable. The Greater London Authority has so far completed 871 homes under the 2021-2026 Affordable Homes Programme (AHP), according to its annual housing report. This is just over five per cent of [...]
Page Group profit tumbles amid job market woes and tariff uncertainty July 10, 2025 Page Group has reported a hefty decline in half-year profit as recruiters grapple with a slowdown in the jobs market and uncertainty in global trade. Gross profit fell 12.3 per cent to £389.3m year-on-year on a reported basis, with a notable 13.4 per cent decline in the UK. British firms have been grappling with tax [...]
South West Water to pay £24m to avoid fine from Ofwat over leaks July 10, 2025 South West Water is to invest £24m into its network and local environment to avoid being fined by the industry regulator after a failure to manage its wastewater network led to unnecessary leaks. Ofwat said the utility had “failed to build” and operate its wastewater treatment works and sewer network to “ensure they performed sufficiently.” [...]
Vistry looks to ‘transformative’ government investment as profit drops July 10, 2025 Housebuilder Vistry has reported a sharp drop in profit but expects activity to pick up later in the year as the government’s affordable homes investment filters into the market. Vistry, which unseated Barratt as the UK’s biggest housebuilder last September, told markets that it expects adjusted operating profit to be £125m in the first half [...]
One pub to close every day in 2025, new data reveals July 10, 2025 Small pubs are being forced to close in the face of unsustainable costs pressures, according to new data. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has estimated that 378 pubs will close this year across England, Wales and Scotland, amounting to more than 5,600 job losses. The industry body pointed to the heavy pressure of [...]
UK Hospitality launch campaign to undo budget ‘hammer blow’ to sector July 9, 2025 Industry lobby group UK Hospitality has launched a campaign to reverse the “unfair” tax burden on the sector, #TaxedOut. The body has been vocal about the damage caused by higher taxes announced in the Autumn budget, estimating that 69,000 jobs have been lost since last October. “The 2024 Budget was a hammer blow to hospitality… [...]
Thames Water bosses face fresh grilling from MPs over bonus row July 9, 2025 Thames Water bosses have been hauled back in front of MPs after accusations of a “lack of transparency” surrounding bonuses carved out of an emergency loan. The crisis-hit utility has refused to take back nearly £2.5m it paid to a host of senior managers from the £3bn lifeline provided by creditors earlier this year. Some [...]
