Why consulting giants aren’t quaking at Anthropic’s new AI venture Consulting Consulting firms have long focused on advising clients on adopting new tech, but now the biggest AI giant seems to be keen to adopt advisory skills, as the consultancy sector continues to pivot, writes Maria Ward-Brennan Last week it was revealed that Anthropic, the company behind some of the world’s most advanced AI models, plans [...]
Autumn Budget 2026: five no-brainers to boost productivity Opinion Despite ongoing calls for radical tax and economic reforms to boost productivity, Chancellor John Healey is expected to deliver a cautious, low-key Budget, Tim Sarson You can tell it’s Budget season. The leaves are just starting to turn, Halloween goods fill the shops, and the corridor small talk from my colleagues has moved on from [...]
The Budget lever Healey could pull to tax family business succession Tax Thousands of family businesses could face being priced out of passing their business down to their offspring should Chancellor John Healey to use his maiden Budget to clamp down on a little-known rule making it easier for firms to transfer ownership. Treasury officials have been mulling an overhaul of so-called company distribution rules that would [...]
British banks vulnerable after outsourcing AI to US tech giants, Bank of England finds October 27, 2026 British banks are becoming increasingly reliant on a handful of foreign tech giants to power their AI ambitions, new research from Bank of England and Financial Conduct Authority has revealed, raising concerns over the City’s dependence on overseas infrastructure. The three largest cloud computing providers account for 79 per cent of reported supplier relationships among [...]
EY partner pay jumps to £870k despite consulting slump October 27, 2026 Big Four giant EY posted a two per cent rise in UK fee income over the past year and hiked payouts for its partners, even as its consulting arm came under pressure from what it said was a “challenging market”. For the financial year ending 3 July 2026, the firm reported UK fee income of [...]
HW Fisher sanctioned over GFG Alliance audit lapses October 27, 2026 The watchdog has fined HW Fisher LLP and one of its partners £200,000 for serious professional failures during an audit of Liberty Commodities, a group within metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said HW Fisher LLP and lead auditor Simon Mott-Cowan showed a pervasive lack of “professional scepticism” during the [...]
European Enterprises Seek Long-Term Value from Workday October 27, 2026 Organizations prioritize ongoing optimization, practical AI and closer integration of HR and finance, ISG Provider Lens® report says
Deloitte hikes pay for top boss while headcount shrinks October 26, 2026 Big Four giant Deloitte hiked pay for one of its chief executives last year by almost half while overall headcount at the firm fell, in part tied to targeted job cuts. According to the firm’s latest accounts, Deloitte’s chief executive of EMEA, Richard Houston, saw his pay increase to £7.1m, almost fifty per cent more [...]
Anthropic partners with British private equity firm to launch consultancy arm October 23, 2026 Anthropic is launching a new AI consultancy business in Europe after partnering with London-based private equity firm Hg, according to reports. The company behind some of the world’s most advanced AI models is expected to launch its consultancy firm by the end of the year, the Financial Times reported, set to be based in London [...]
Inflation leaps above expectations to 3.5 per cent October 21, 2026 Inflation jumped to 3.5 per cent in the 12 months to September as the UK economy looks set to suffer the damaging effects of energy price increases caused by the Iran war over the coming months. The consumer price index (CPI) reading rose above market expectations. This was also above last month’s figure of 3.1 [...]