Business

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ assertion that the Autumn Budget delivers the “lowest tax rates since 1991” for more than 750,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties has been called into question after detailed analysis revealed that most high-street premises will in fact face significantly higher business-rates multipliers next year. Reeves told MPs that she was introducing the lowest tax rates in over three decades, using the phrase “tax rates” in the plural. However, the claim hinges entirely...

The proportion of women studying computing degrees in the UK has risen to 25 per cent for the first time, according to new analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data by online lab-hosting platform Go Deploy. The study, which examined gender representation across five years of IT, engineering and technology degrees, highlights slow but steady progress in efforts to diversify the UK’s tech talent pipeline. Yet the figures also underline how far the sector...

For most investors, private equity and venture capital appear similar at first glance: both operate in private markets, both target high-return opportunities, and both demand long-term commitment. In 2025, however, the distinction between these two strategies has become more important than ever, as capital becomes more selective and market volatility forces investors to rethink traditional allocation models. A growing number of European professionals with hands-on experience in both operational business scaling and venture financing now...

Britain could face a Christmas crisp shortage after workers at KP Snacks’ Billingham factory — home to Hula Hoops, McCoy’s, Pom-Bears and Discos — voted overwhelmingly to take strike action. Eighty-five per cent of GMB union members employed as process operatives backed industrial action after KP allegedly imposed additional duties and responsibilities without any corresponding increase in pay. In response, KP Snacks has suspended all staff holiday requests while the company assesses the potential impact...

A long-standing tax relief that helps home-based workers cover household expenses will be scrapped from April 2026, in a move that will affect an estimated 300,000 employees and raise tens of millions for the Treasury. The relief — originally introduced more than a decade ago and widely used during the pandemic — allows employees who are required to work from home and receive no reimbursement from their employer to claim either their actual additional costs...

With the UN’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities approaching on 3 December, new findings suggest that while UK employers overwhelmingly want to hire more disabled staff, many lack the confidence, tools or understanding to do so. Almost one in four working-age adults in the UK has a disability – a figure that continues to rise. Yet disabled people still face stark inequalities in the labour market. The recent Keep Britain Working review, led by...

For a quarter of a century, Russell Wardrop has been in the same line of work—creating rainmakers. As co‑founder and chief executive of KWC Global, based in Glasgow and London, Wardrop has made a career of helping lawyers, accountants and financiers learn the commercial skills business school often forgets: how to sell, lead and grow. His thesis is disarmingly simple: if learning and development is designed correctly and linked to tangible outcomes, it stops being...

JP Morgan Chase has announced plans to build a new £3 billion, 3 million sq ft tower in Canary Wharf — one of the largest office developments in Europe — in a move hailed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as a “multibillion-pound vote of confidence” in the UK economy. The new skyscraper will become the bank’s principal UK headquarters, housing 12,000 staff and surpassing 22 Bishopsgate to become the largest office building in Britain. Designed by...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle have warned the UK’s major telecoms companies that they must do more to protect customers from unexpected mid-contract price rises, urging the sector to improve transparency and treat consumers “fairly and consistently”. In a joint letter sent to mobile and broadband CEOs, the ministers said too many customers still face confusing or unclear pricing mechanisms and called on providers to reaffirm that no customer under contract should...

Revolut has overtaken Barclays in valuation after securing a $75 billion price tag in a major secondary share sale backed by Nvidia, cementing its position as Europe’s most valuable private tech company and the standout success story of Britain’s fintech sector. The deal — largely involving staff selling portions of their holdings — marks a dramatic jump from Revolut’s $45 billion valuation last year. It now exceeds the market capitalisation of Barclays (£55.7bn / $73bn),...