Identity verification for directors and PSCs brings a fairer and safer business environment closer. Companies House is phasing in identity verification over 12 months to make things easier for companies and business owners, starting 18 November 2025.
The financial crisis of 2008 left deep scars on the British economy. The average UK household is now estimated to be 16% poorer than it would have been had that crisis never occurred.
The spectacle of Westminster's budget season has once again descended into farce, resembling less a sober exercise in fiscal planning and more a kite festival on a blustery day. Ministers and Treasury officials have taken to the skies with a dazzling array of policy kites, each one floated briefly before being yanked down in panic or allowed to drift off into the ether.
The UK budget is usually a story of growth forecasts, borrowing levels and fiscal discipline. But ahead of this month's high-stakes event, growth has been slower than expected.
When you think about your environmental footprint, what comes to mind first?. Maybe the flights you take, the car you drive or whether you choose the train instead.
The government updates NHS IP guidance for the first time in 23 years, cutting red tape so innovations reach patients fasters and boost the UK's economic growth. Patients to access new treatments quicker as government slashes red tape and streamlines NHS intellectual property (IP) guidance for first time in 23 years.
Wick Street Design project is currently underway, and its total value is around £2.1 million. There are misgivings by local town centre businesses if traffic cannot move smoothly through the main streets.
Campaigners' Efforts Pay Off - Caithness Health Action Team's persistence on maternity services at Wick hospital finally prompts government review. Shoebox Gifts Initiative - Local volunteers highlight how shoebox donations will make a vital difference to families this winter.
Expectations are high that a new operator for the Wick - Aberdeen PSO service will be secured very soon. Today the Emergency Tender has gone live, giving prospective operators 72 hours to apply.
As the world grapples with climate change, the jobs question is emerging as a vital piece of the conversation. The World Bank's recent report Jobs in a Changing Climate (7 November 2025) argues that climate adaptation and low-carbon development are not just environmental imperatives — they are deeply tied to global employment trends, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
The Royal Navy's powerful aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and her advanced fighter jets are under NATO command, the Defence Secretary has announced. HMS Prince of Wales first aircraft carrier with most advanced 5th generation F-35 fighter jets committed to NATO.
For years, Scotland's health service has relied on an obscure but increasingly important financial tool: brokerage. Most people in the Highlands have never heard the word, yet it now sits at the centre of NHS Highland's financial future — and it shapes everything from staffing levels to the long-term sustainability of local services.
Young carers up to age 19 will now receive Young Carer Grant following an expansion of the benefit delivered by Social Security Scotland. The grant which was previously open to 16 to 18-year-olds is a Scottish only benefit that gives young carers a yearly payment of £390.25.
HMS Prince of Wales and other UK aircraft carriers are protected against drone threats, but their defences rely on a layered system of escorts, sensors, and aircraft rather than the carrier alone. The Royal Navy is actively integrating new counter-drone technologies, but this remains an evolving challenge.
Industry and academia are being invited to collaborate with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in a new strategic initiative to help the UK's marine sector become cleaner, safer and even more successful. Today (17 November 2025) the MCA is for the first time publishing a list of Areas of Research Interest (ARI), signalling what issues, questions and investigations will enhance its regulatory mission, including clear guidance on emerging technology.
Britain's biggest businesses have joined the Government's hiring drive to get prison leavers into work in effort to cut crime as part of the Plan for Change. Over 300 businesses join efforts to plug labour shortfalls and grow the economy.
Lower earnings and employment growth in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK is reducing the impact of devolved taxes on the country's budget. Holyrood's budget has been boosted by over £4 billion since the introduction of devolved taxes in 2015/16.
As she carefully prepares the UK's reaction to her second budget the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has now hinted that she may be ready to scrap the two-child benefits cap. This controversial policy prevents parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for more than two children (this is different to child benefit payments which are not limited by family size).
Scotland's three enterprise agencies have joined the UK's national innovation agency to agree a collaboration framework that aims to help Scotland become one of the most innovative small nations in the world. The Innovation Collaboration Framework for Scotland brings together Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise and Innovate UK with a commitment to support ambitious businesses to invest in research to drive economic growth, create good jobs and help tackle major societal and environmental challenges.
The UK government is considering changes to gambling taxes, including potentially higher taxes on "fruit machines" (machine gaming) and other online gambling. But nothing is fully settled yet.