News

September 11, 2025

Aldi Leads the Way on Pay: Is High Pay a Good Approach?

Aldi introduced a pay boost last week for its store assistants that will see their pay rise to at least £13.02 per hour nationwide, making it the first UK supermarket to pass the £13 mark. Within the M25, rates will start at £14.35, rising to £14.66 with length of service. All staff, regardless of age, will receive the same minimum rate – well above the new National Living Wage of £12.21.

September 10, 2025

Rising Borrowing Costs Put Pressure on the Chancellor

The UK government is facing a fresh financial squeeze after long-term borrowing costs climbed to their highest level in a generation. The yield on 30-year government bonds (known as gilts) has reached 5.72% – the highest since 1998.

November 6, 2024

Businesses count the cost of increases to Employers National Insurance

As has been widely expected in the last few weeks, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, made some significant changes to the Employers National Insurance (NI) rate and threshold in the Autumn Budget.

November 4, 2024

Autumn 2024 Budget speech: History in the making?

On 30 October 2024, Rachel Reeves delivered her first Budget speech. As the first Budget speech ever delivered by a female Chancellor of the Exchequer, the occasion was bound to be one for the history books regardless of what was said.

October 31, 2024

New regulations of Buy-Now, Pay-Later proposed

The UK government has announced a consultation on new legislations designed to regulate Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) products. The forthcoming rules, which will bring BNPL products under the supervision of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), are designed to provide the same key protections for BNPL as exist for other consumer credit products.

October 30, 2024

Employment Rights Bill progresses and consultations are launched

Following the release of the Employment Rights Bill, its Impact Assessment was published last week showing that the new Bill will have a “positive direct impact on economic growth.”

October 28, 2024

Having trouble with your banking?

A strong relationship with your bank is a crucial part of the success and stability of your business. You may rely on them for tailored financial solutions, ranging from short-term credit facilities to long-term loans, to support your growth plans or manage cash flow fluctuations.

October 24, 2024

£63 billion in new UK investments set to create 38,000 jobs

At the International Investment Summit, the UK government announced nearly £63 billion in new investments, which are expected to create 38,000 jobs.

October 23, 2024

Surprising drop in inflation for September

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have reported that their measure for inflation (Consumer Prices Index) fell to 1.7% for September. This is an unexpected reduction and is the lowest inflation has been in more than three years.

October 21, 2024

What will the Budget bring?

With the Budget coming on 30th October, speculation is increasing on what changes will be announced. The Chancellor and the Prime Minister have made comments to indicate that the Budget will bring “difficult decisions”.

October 17, 2024

Are you complying with competition law? Reviewing the CMA’s latest warning

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has just published a new set of heat maps showing where businesses across the UK have received warning or advisory letters for potentially breaking competition law. It’s the first time the CMA has published this kind of information, and it’s a reminder for all businesses to ensure they’re on the right side of the law.

October 16, 2024

Solar power in the spotlight

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, along with a newly reactivated Solar Taskforce, is spearheading a major push to get more solar panels on homes and businesses by 2030. This is all part of a wider strategy to build the UK’s energy independence, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and protect consumer bills from volatile energy markets.