HM Revenue & Customs is preparing to embark on a technology spending programme worth more than £2 billion over the next two years, as long-running efforts to modernise its ageing IT estate continue to run into delays and rising costs. According to HMRC’s latest procurement pipeline, the tax authority will begin with a large-scale data warehouse transformation programme, expected to be worth around £410 million. The contract will combine the running and modification of existing...
British manufacturers are scaling back exports to the United States as uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s shifting tariff policies disrupt trade and supply chains, according to new industry research. A joint study by Make UK and DHL Express found that 20 per cent of UK factories have already stopped or reduced exports to the US in response to tariff uncertainty. A further 16 per cent said they plan to reduce their reliance on the...
UK unemployment is expected to rise to its highest level in five years in 2026 as previously announced tax increases begin to weigh on growth and hiring, according to new forecasts from the EY Item Club. The forecasters warned that joblessness could peak at 5.2 per cent in the first half of this year, up from the current 5.1 per cent and the highest level since January 2021, as modest economic growth is constrained by...
The Bank of England is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold this week after inflation rose for the first time in five months, although markets believe the door remains open to a cut later in the spring. Analysts expect the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to vote to maintain the base rate at 3.75 per cent when it announces its decision on Thursday. The rate is already at a three-year low following four...
A Russian drone strike hit a bus carrying miners in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region on Sunday, killing at least 12 people. Ukrainian emergency services later reported the death toll had risen to 15 in one of the deadliest single attacks on energy workers since the start of the war. The attack Sunday came a few hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia had been postponed. A spokesperson...
President Donald Trump said Sunday that the Trump Kennedy Center will close later this year for a two-year period to undergo renovations. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the complex will close on July 4, coinciding with the nation’s 250th anniversary, at which point construction will begin on what he described as a ‘new and spectacular entertainment complex.’ Trump said the decision followed a yearlong review involving contractors, arts experts and other advisers....
President Donald Trump has threatened legal action against author Michael Wolff and the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, insisting a newly released trove of Epstein-related files clears him of wrongdoing. Trump was aboard Air Force One during a flight to Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday when he responded to a reporter’s question about the more than 3 million Epstein-related records and personal emails that the Justice Department released Friday. ‘It looked like this guy, Wolff, was...
A pair of Senate Republicans are pushing their House counterparts to reject the Trump-backed shutdown deal unless it includes Homeland Security funding and election integrity legislation. Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, are calling on House Republicans to push back against the Senate-passed funding package, which includes bills to fund five agencies, including the Pentagon, as a partial government shutdown continues. They contended that the package needs to be retooled, and must include...
Tax season already brings stress. In 2026, it brings added confusion. Changes to tax filing programs and the discontinuation of the free government-run filing system have left many taxpayers unsure about what is legitimate. That uncertainty has created an opening for scammers who move quickly when people hesitate. ‘Every tax season we see scammers ramp up their activity, and with likely confusion now that the free government-run filing system is discontinued, we’re sure scammers will...
Israel and Egypt conducted a test reopening of the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Sunday. Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which oversees humanitarian and civil efforts in Gaza, said the crossing will be open to the public starting Monday morning, but only in a limited capacity, allowing roughly 150 people per day to cross. Those headed to the crossing will be picked up by buses and brought in organized...
