Trump’s tough stance on DEI costs Big Four giant Deloitte millions August 26, 2026 Deloitte has agreed to pay the US government $21.5m to settle allegations that it violated federal ‘equal opportunity’ requirements in its contracts, as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The US Justice Department claimed that from 2017 to the present, the Big Four giant had falsely said it had complied [...]
Interpath chief fined for breaching confidentiality rules before KPMG spin-off August 26, 2026 The chief executive of restructuring firm Interpath Advisory has been fined for allegedly breaching confidentiality standards before the company was sold to private equity by Big Four accounting giant KPMG, its former owner. The UK’s accounting body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW), said Mark Raddan, a former KPMG board member, [...]
Whey and weight-loss drugs to eat into Applied Nutrition profit August 26, 2026 Applied Nutrition has warned that a major jump in whey protein prices will eat into its bottom line next year even as it beefed up its forecasts for the next year. The protein-shake maker revealed its adjusted pre-tax profit had risen by more than 40 per cent in the 12 months to August, a figure [...]
‘We’d love an apprentice – but the government has made it too expensive’ August 26, 2026 Small companies around Britain are facing a cost of business crisis. Bowers & Jones, an award-winning manufacturing firm, tells City AM that changes to the minimum wage have priced it out of employing apprentices. When Jane Somerville led a management buyout of her manufacturing firm and shifted its entire factory across the West Midlands in [...]
Gatwick takes ‘significant’ passenger hit from Iran war August 26, 2026 Gatwick has suffered a “significant” decline in passenger numbers as a result of the Iran war after airlines cancelled flights to the region and holidaymakers swerved destinations like Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. The UK’s second-biggest airport saw total passenger numbers drop by nearly five per cent because of the Middle East conflict, weighing on revenue [...]
Energy price cap rises to three-year high August 26, 2026 Brits are set for another squeeze from energy bills this winter after watchdog Ofgem confirmed the price cap was set to rise to a three-year high. The regulator said on Wednesday the default tariff for consumers across Britain would increase four per cent to £1,723 for the final quarter of the year. The rise marks [...]
Golf, events and bags of nostalgia at Newport’s Celtic Manor August 26, 2026 There’s something very nostalgic about Celtic Manor. Located a few minutes down the M4 from Newport town centre, it manages to feel entirely remote, an imposing stone building nestled within some 2,000 acres of grounds. Opened in 1982 by Welsh tech tycoon Sir Terry Matthews, once the richest man in the country, Celtic Manor brings [...]
Economists urge Bank of England to halt bond sales as borrowing costs climb August 26, 2026 The Bank of England should abort its costly approach to unwinding quantitative easing, which is stoking the government’s elevated borrowing costs and costing the taxpayer billions of pounds, a group of analysts and bond investors have said. The government’s long-term borrowing costs have risen to levels not seen this century, amid unease at the country’s [...]
Why The Outer Hebrides is Scotland’s ultimate wellness escape August 26, 2026 Exquisite silence and beautiful beaches in The Outer Hebrides, Scotland’s wildest part I’m floating above luminous purple coral and brilliant white starfish. The water below me is so clear that I can see individual grains of sand and the scales on the fish. One giveaway that I’m not somewhere exotic? I’m wearing a wetsuit and [...]
Jenrick pledges reform for small businesses August 25, 2026 Reform UK’s economics chief Robert Jenrick has billed a package of tax and red tape reforms for small businesses as the “biggest plan” presented in a decade. A week before the party’s conference in Birmingham, Jenrick has hailed a number of flagship policies designed to appeal to bosses employing fewer than 50 employees. The party [...]