Budget 2026: Healey grants HMRC sweeping powers to chase tax debts October 28, 2026 John Healey has given HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) more funding and sweeping powers “to collect overdue tax from those who can clearly afford to pay but ignore repeated contact”, in yet another clampdown on tax debts. The move marks a major expansion of the taxman’s power and comes amid the government’s push to stamp [...]
Budget 2026: Poorest pensioners shielded from income tax October 28, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has confirmed he will shield low-income retirees from income tax as the state pension is set to rise above the personal allowance threshold next year, in a move expected to cost the government around £200m a year by 2030. Healey said the government would protect nearly one million pensioners who are dependent [...]
Budget 2026: Green levies stripped from energy bills October 28, 2026 John Healey will scrap green levies from energy bills and shift environmental funding into the wider tax base to minimise the impact of the Iran war on UK households. The Chancellor said on Wednesday he would axe the surcharge applied to energy bills “for good”, in what represents major shift of the government’s environmental agenda. [...]
du and Comarch Communications Launch Agentic AI for OSS Network Operations October 28, 2026 du, the leading telecommunications and digital service provider and Comarch Communications, a global provider of Enterprise Tech solutions for connectivity, have expanded their partnership to lay the data foundation for goal-oriented autonomous execution. Comarch Communications is delivering a major upgrade to du’s Operational Support Systems (OSS) platform. By creating a unified central hub for all [...]
Budget 2026: Healey doubles bank tax to fund energy package October 28, 2026 John Healey has confirmed a “time limited” tax hike on the UK banking sector as a means to fund the government’s energy support package. The Chancellor will double the surcharge, which sits on top of corporation tax, to six per cent. The increase will begin in January and continue for 15 months. “I want to [...]
Dove owner Unilever hikes prices as energy costs surge October 28, 2026 Dove owner Unilever hiked its prices over the summer as it looked to offset rising energy costs caused by the Iran war. The FTSE 100 consumer goods group told shareholders on Wednesday its prices rose by 2.3 per cent in its third quarter, as its volume growth slowed from 5.5 to 2.9 per cent. The [...]
Amazon and Tiktok accused of dodging MP scrutiny over online shopping safety October 28, 2026 Amazon and Tiktok have been accused of dodging parliamentary scrutiny over consumer safety, after MPs raised concerns about the tech giants’ reluctance to appear before a committee hearing next week. Liam Byrne, chair of the Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) Committee, wrote to senior executives at both companies on Tuesday, warning that their unwillingness [...]
Firms forced to give staff ‘government approved’ advice on joining a union October 28, 2026 Businesses will be forced to tell their staff how to join a union at least once a year under fresh plans drawn up by the government to boost participation in organised labour. The government has decided the rules, due to come into force at the start of next year, will apply to employers of all [...]
Protecting pensioners from income tax is unfair to workers October 28, 2026 As Chancellor John Healey prepares to raise the tax-free allowance for pensioners, exempting them from income tax while keeping working-age allowances frozen creates an unnecessary and unfair divide, says Matthew Bowles Today, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey will face the unenviable task of persuading the public that Britain’s finances add up. No matter how [...]
Iceland boss: Budget must show Labour is listening to business, not just managing decline October 28, 2026 The upcoming Budget must reject managed decline and instead foster a productivity revolution through investment incentives, skills support, and lower employment costs to help British business drive economic growth, says Lord Richard Walker I thought that working across the property, retail and leisure sectors had given me a wide perspective on business and the environment [...]