As of late 2025, the UK government's public sector net debt — the headline measure of government borrowing — stands at around 94-96 % of GDP. This means the total debt the government owes (after accounting for financial assets) is nearly as large as the UK economy itself.
As of late 2025, the UK's public sector net debt — the core measure of government debt — stands at around £2.9 trillion, equivalent to about 95 % of GDP. Forecasts by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) project this level to hold broadly steady in 2025-26 and into 2026-27, rising slightly to around 95-96 % of GDP in that period rather than declining sharply.
By 2026, the United Kingdom is expected to reach a long-anticipated milestone in its space ambitions: the transition from a nation that designs and builds spacecraft to one that can also launch them from its own territory. While the scale will remain modest compared with the United States or China, 2026 represents a critical turning point for UK spaceflight, combining domestic rocket launches, internationally launched UK-built satellites, and a rapidly expanding industrial and scientific workforce.
'A proactive opportunity for all ports and marine facilities to review, assess, and demonstrate proportional alignment with the code. Enforcing standards and "embedding a culture of safety" among ports and marine facilities is the drive behind a newly launched compliance exercise.
Today (Friday 2 January) online mini cab firms have been barred from illegitimately using a niche scheme to avoid tax. Cabbies and small taxi companies to benefit as online minicab firms stopped from using niche scheme to avoid paying tax.
From 1 January 2026, the UK has begun implementation of the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF). Under these rules, cryptocurrency exchanges and service providers must collect detailed user and transaction information (e.g., personal ID, tax numbers, buys/sells, gains/losses) and prepare to report this to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant vision of the future. It is reshaping work across industries right now.
In the narrow streets of the Gaza Strip, the cries of children echo against buildings reduced to rubble. Families line up for meager rations of bread and water, wondering if they will survive another day.
The UK housing market plays a crucial role in the overall health of the national economy. It influences household wealth, consumer spending, labour mobility, and financial stability.
In late 2025, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on a proposed change to how planning decisions for onshore electricity generation projects are made in Scotland. At the heart of the consultation is a proposal to increase the threshold — currently set at 50 megawatts (MW) — that determines whether a project must be decided by Scottish Ministers under the Electricity Act 1989 or by local planning authorities under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.
Humanitarian and food aid have long been the safety net for vulnerable populations caught in conflict, economic collapse, climate disasters, and displacement. But in recent years, that lifeline has begun to fray.
The Scottish Government has undertaken a consultation on family law reforms, which includes proposals to modernise the procedures for divorce and the dissolution of civil partnerships. A central focus of this consultation is whether to extend the simplified court procedures currently available for some divorce cases so that they can also be used when there are children under the age of 16, provided that the parents have agreed the arrangements for the children's welfare.
2025 was a pivotal year for UK defence policy, marked by historic spending increases, industrial growth initiatives, and renewed focus on military readiness. The government set out one of its largest sustained boosts in defence expenditure since the end of the Cold War, aiming to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with longer-term ambitions of reaching 3% in the next Parliament.
Across the UK, insulation and home-energy upgrades have been promoted for many years as a solution to fuel poverty, heat loss, and rising energy bills. Yet despite long-running programmes, national targets, and public investment, the UK continues to trail behind many European nations in practical insulation outcomes.
Businesses to receive boost to investment as a new first-year allowance takes effect today (Thursday 1 January 2026), as the government continues its drive to make Britain the best place to do business. Businesses to benefit from new 40% first-year allowance that supports investment and growth - effective from today, 1 January 2026.
We wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR for 2026. .
Caithness has been in the news for a variety of reasons over the past year, reflecting its unique blend of industry, culture, and community life. The region's nuclear heritage remains a cornerstone of its economy, and recent visits by the monarchy have highlighted the ongoing importance of the Dounreay site.
For decades, expense padding, exaggerated mileage claims, and creative interpretations of company policy have quietly drained money from both public and private organisations. Some see it as opportunistic; others justify it as compensation for low pay or workplace frustrations.
In modern workplaces, employee absence is more than a simple inconvenience -it can disrupt operations, inflate costs, and strain teams. For decades, managers have relied on spreadsheets, HR reports, and intuition to understand sickness patterns, often reacting after the fact.
In 2026, the Highland region of Scotland finds itself at a unique economic crossroads. While it faces "once-in-a-generation" opportunities in renewable energy and green technology, it is simultaneously battling structural crises in housing, demographics, and public funding.
