Reeves weighs tech tax overhaul to avert US tariffs March 23, 2025 The UK government is exploring potential adjustments to its digital services tax (DST) to avert further tariffs from the US, Rachel Reeves confirmed. The DST, which targets global tech heavyweights like Meta, Google and Amazon, has raised around £800m a year since its introduction in 2020. Yet, with President Donald Trump set to announce new [...]
Chancellor defends budget choices ahead of Spring statement March 23, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended the government’s recent budget decisions, claiming they were necessary for economic stability amid uncertain global conditions. In an interview with BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Reeves emphasised the importance of making difficult choices to ensure long term fiscal responsibility. “There are always going to be costs for every choice you [...]
What the Online Safety Act means for UK tech March 23, 2025 New rules under the Online Safety Act came into force on Monday, requiring tech firms to find and remove illegal content, or risk facing heavy fines. The law applies to around 100,000 online services including social media platforms, online forums and messaging apps. It has given the UK watchdog the power to enforce stricter content [...]
WPP bets big on AI to regain industry leadership March 22, 2025 Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just reshaping industries, it’s upending them. Nowhere is this more evident than in advertising, where AI is reshaping how brands create, deliver and optimise campaigns. While many firms are still finding their feet with AI, WPP is claiming it has hit the ground running. For the global communications giant, the AI [...]
Sky, BT, IMG, ITV and BBC: Broadcasters caught in freelancer pay fixing scandal March 21, 2025 The UK’s sports broadcaster heavyweights have been fined for unlawfully colluding to fix freelancer pay rates, leading to over £4m in penalties. BT, IMG, ITV and the BBC have all admitted to illegally sharing sensitive payment information and details to suppress wages for production staff. Sky, which also participated, avoided a financial penalty by reporting [...]
IT outages: Are UK banks failing to modernise? March 20, 2025 Imagine it’s payday, and you’re trying to pay your bills or make a critical purchase, only to discover that your bank’s system has gone down. For millions of customers at Britain’s major banks, this nightmare is all too familiar. Over the past two years, nine of the UK’s banks were offline for more than 800 [...]
What Apple’s fight over encryption means for your data March 16, 2025 Your iPhone holds some of your most private information – messages, photos and personal data secured by encryption, that even Apple itself cannot access. But a legal battle between the tech giant and the UK government is now testing the limits of that security. The company has been locked in the legal and political showdown [...]
Human rights groups challenge Apple’s privacy fight with the UK government March 14, 2025 Two UK human rights groups have challenged the government’s attempts to force tech titan Apple to weaken its security systems, saying the process lacks transparency. The UK government had attempted to force Apple to create a “back door” in its implemented security systems. Liberty and Privacy International have filed a legal complaint against the tech [...]
Shein confirms listing plans with London in the spotlight March 14, 2025 Fast fashion titan Shein has confirmed its plans to float on the stock market, and hasn’t ruled out listing in London. Chief executive Donald Tang told The Times that the firm wanted to go public to increase “accountability and transparency”. The brand had not previously confirmed a timeline for an IPO. Yet, reports suggest the [...]
AI agents: meet your new (cheaper) colleague March 13, 2025 The rise of AI agents is reshaping the workplace as their potential to redefine numerous job roles increases. Across various business sectors, firms are integrating these ‘agents’ to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and enhance decision making. As adoption accelerates, traditionally human roles are becoming progressively automated. Meanwhile, other roles are evolving at a similar rate [...]
