The UK government will cover a £104m IR35 tax bill at Post Office Limited after historic off-payroll working failures left the public body unable to pay.
Category: In Business
Advice on growing your small and medium sized business, SME, in the UK. Hiring and managing staff and finance plus marketing all on one website
Government issues new guidance to help businesses prepare for employment law changes
The Government has launched new guidance to help UK employers prepare for employment law reforms taking effect from April under the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Hair Syrup founder launches £5,000 ‘Honey Pot’ fund to back UK entrepreneurs
The founder of viral beauty brand Hair Syrup has launched a new founder-led initiative designed to help early-stage UK entrepreneurs turn ideas into viable businesses.
House of Lords AI summit urges agentic AI to ‘rejuvenate’ UK economy
A House of Lords AI summit has called for wider adoption of agentic AI to boost UK productivity, support SMEs and address a looming skills gap across the economy.
High streets to receive £150m boost – but business leaders warn it is “a sticking plaster on a gaping wound”
The government has announced a £150m High Streets Strategy to revive struggling town centres, but small business owners warn the funding falls far short of what is needed to reverse years of decline.
Betfred brothers top Sunday Times tax list with £400m bill as stars and entrepreneurs pay record sums
The Betfred brothers top the Sunday Times 2026 Tax List after paying £400m, with Harry Styles the highest-contributing celebrity and Erling Haaland the youngest entry.
Calls grow for UK to freeze hotel business rate revaluations as costs soar
Hotel operators and tax experts are urging the UK Government to follow Northern Ireland’s lead and freeze hotel business rate revaluations, warning of six-figure annual increases from 2026.
One in five SMEs cut staff as tax and cost pressures intensify, survey finds
Rising taxes and operating costs forced 21% of UK SMEs to cut staff last year, according to new research from Rathbones, with hospitality firms hardest hit.
HMRC plans £2bn technology spending spree as legacy systems prove stubborn
HMRC is preparing to spend more than £2bn on new technology contracts, including major cloud and data deals, as efforts to retire legacy systems run over budget and behind schedule.
Amazon in talks over $50bn investment in OpenAI as AI arms race accelerates
Amazon is in early talks to invest up to $50bn in OpenAI, as the ChatGPT maker seeks up to $100bn in funding at a valuation of around $830bn amid intense Big Tech competition.
New wave of ‘zombie’ companies faces collapse as financial distress surges
Tens of thousands of UK companies are in critical financial distress, with high taxes, rising wage costs and weak demand threatening a new wave of business failures, warns Begbies Traynor.
Lloyds to return £3.1bn to investors as profits surge past forecasts
Lloyds Banking Group will return more than £3.1bn to shareholders through dividends and buybacks after posting stronger-than-expected profits of £6.66bn.
Driverless taxis could hit UK roads as early as September, Waymo says
Waymo says it hopes to launch a driverless robotaxi service in London as early as September, ahead of planned UK regulatory changes to allow autonomous taxis.
YouTube criticised for pulling out of UK TV audience measurement system
YouTube has suspended its participation in the UK’s Barb audience measurement system, drawing criticism from broadcasters and advertisers over transparency and accountability.
Pornhub to block UK access for new users amid age-verification row
Pornhub will restrict access for UK users from 2 February, blocking new visitors and citing the Online Safety Act’s age-verification rules as ineffective, as regulator Ofcom disputes the claim.
