News

The number of high-earning women in the UK has risen to a record 284,000, according to new analysis by Bowmore Wealth Group. The figure — covering the year to 31 March 2025 — represents a 12% increase from 254,000 the previous year and means women now make up 26% of top-rate taxpayers, up from 25% last year and 24% the year before. The top or ‘additional’ rate of income tax, currently set at 45%, applies...

Scottish finance expert Craig Alexander Rattray has called for stronger government protections for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) involved in legal disputes with large corporations, following his own trademark battle with billion-dollar accounting firm Xero. Rattray, founder of the financial education programme Know Your Numbers®, claims that Xero’s use of a name “strikingly similar” to his registered trademark has exposed how difficult — and expensive — it is for smaller businesses to defend their intellectual...

Hensol Castle Distillery has announced a series of record-breaking achievements for the first six months of its financial year, underscoring its growing status as one of Wales’s most successful spirits producers. The business achieved an AA grade in its latest BRCGS re-audit — the highest possible certification — recognising world-class standards in product safety, quality and traceability. The distillery also expanded its supermarket partnerships, with new listings driving growth across Wales and the UK. Its...

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), a Welsh government-sponsored body, has paid a £14.6 million settlement to HMRC after admitting to historic non-compliance with the UK’s IR35 off-payroll working rules. The settlement, which includes a £2.9 million penalty (suspended for 12 months), stems from errors in determining the employment status of contractors engaged between 2017 and recent years. NRW confirmed it had been in discussions with HMRC since 2017, when off-payroll reforms first came into effect for...

Apple has lost a major competition case in the UK after the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled that the company abused its dominant position in the digital app marketplace by overcharging millions of iPhone and iPad users for apps and in-app purchases. The tribunal found in favour of Dr Rachael Kent, a senior lecturer at King’s College London, who brought the collective action lawsuit Kent v Apple on behalf of nearly 36 million UK consumers...

The Tide everywoman Entrepreneur Awards, in association with BGF, have revealed a powerhouse lineup of female founders shortlisted for the UK’s leading awards celebrating women in business. Now in their 22nd year, the awards have championed women transforming industries and communities since 2003. This year’s finalists — selected from nearly 1,000 entries nationwide — span every sector from healthcare and technology to hospitality, manufacturing and creative industries, representing the full breadth of the UK’s entrepreneurial...

Women working in the technology sector have been urged to trust their instincts, back their ideas, and challenge barriers to change, as industry leaders gathered at the first Inspiring Women in Technology event in Birmingham. The event, hosted by the School of Coding & AI (SOC), brought together innovators and senior professionals from across the Midlands to discuss how women can turn the challenges of AI into opportunities for leadership and impact. Suki Gill, (pictured)...

The United States and China have reached a final agreement on the sale of TikTok’s US operations, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on Sunday, marking a breakthrough in a long-running dispute over the video-sharing platform’s ownership and data security. Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, Bessent said the transaction would be formally endorsed by President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting in Korea later this week. “We reached a final...

His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has seen its annual wage bill rise by £29.4 million over the past year, driven by an increase in senior-level employees, according to new research from the Global Payroll Alliance (GPA). The analysis shows that HMRC’s core workforce grew by 3.6 per cent between August 2024 and August 2025, with full-time equivalent positions rising from 64,580 to 66,880. While much of the expansion was at mid-level grades, the most...