Pub operators and hospitality leaders have warned that Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ expected tax raid on gaming machines could inflict serious damage on an industry already battling soaring costs, staff shortages and fragile consumer confidence. With speculation mounting that the Chancellor will sharply increase Machine Gaming Duty (MGD) in the November 26 Budget, trade bodies say the move risks pulling away ...
A British man jailed in the United States for hacking the Twitter accounts of high-profile figures including Barack Obama and Jeff Bezos has been ordered to hand over £4.1 million in cryptocurrency linked to his crimes. Joseph James O’Connor, 26, was sentenced in the US last year after admitting to his role in a sophisticated cyberattack that saw him gain ...
Businesses and financial experts have sharply criticised a potential clampdown on salary sacrifice pension benefits in the upcoming Budget, warning that the move would amount to a stealth rise in Employer National Insurance and leave companies with even fewer ways to manage rising employment costs. Rumours are circulating that the Chancellor could introduce a dramatic cap on the amount employees ...
When I first started taking clients out for dinner, you could sit under the copper dome of Le Gavroche, order a bottle of claret you’d never dare drink at home, and—after a couple of courses, a soufflé, and a few discreet nods from the maître d’—leave only mildly lighter in wallet and spirit. Today, on the same site, you can ...
More than 60 leading operators of serviced offices, business centres and co-working spaces have warned Chancellor Rachel Reeves that recent changes to the business rates system could force thousands of companies to the brink and place jobs across the UK at risk. In a letter seen by Business Matters, the group, which collectively hosts over 27,000 businesses nationwide, expressed “urgent ...
Female entrepreneurs across the UK are working longer hours, taking on second jobs and facing renewed financial strain as economic pressures mount, according to a major new study from Tide and everywoman. The Female Business Owners Index 2025 reveals that 39 per cent of women founders say this year has been harder than 2024, with falling consumer spending, inflation and ...
UK businesses are preparing for renewed uncertainty as the Employment Rights Bill (ERB) returns to the House of Lords today, with new research suggesting confidence in a swift resolution is almost non-existent. A survey by compliance firm VinciWorks has found that just 3 per cent of senior HR, compliance and business leaders believe the Lords will retreat from their opposition ...
A 15-year-old British entrepreneur has been crowned the Grand Winner of Alibaba.com’s CoCreate Pitch, securing a $200,000 prize for his innovative small business, CoolTowel, at the platform’s flagship B2B event in London. Held on 14 November, CoCreate Europe brought together thousands of SMEs from across the continent, with 30 finalists shortlisted to pitch their product innovations to a panel of ...
Stonegate Group, owner of the Slug & Lettuce and Be At One chains, has opened preliminary talks with advisers about a disposal of part of its estate, according to industry sources. The move comes as the company struggles with more than £3 billion of debt built up largely through its £3 billion takeover of rival Ei in 2019. The pubs ...
Former chancellor George Osborne has been shortlisted as a shock candidate to become the next chairman of HSBC Holdings, one of the most powerful and prestigious roles in global banking, according to reports. Sky News revealed that Osborne — who served as chancellor from 2010 to 2016 — was approached over the summer as part of HSBC’s year-long search to ...