News

A report released by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has further criticised HM Revenue & Custom’s (HMRC) phone service. It found that nearly 44,000 customers were cut off without warning after being put on hold for more than an hour in the first 11 months of last year.

Recent economic developments have sparked concerns among UK businesses. Government borrowing costs surged in December to their highest levels in four years, and this has drawn heavy criticism of the Chancellor’s fiscal strategy.

The Renters’ Rights Bill returned to Parliament for debate last week and included some new changes.

The government launched an AI opportunities action plan last Monday that aims to ramp up AI adoption across the UK.

The latest figures reveal that UK inflation fell slightly in December, down to 2.5% from 2.6% in November.

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to bring benefits across many industries, including healthcare diagnostics and consumer technology. However, as its applications expand, so do concerns about its accuracy and potential for misuse. Two recent examples—the use of AI in detecting ovarian cancer and its controversial implementation in summarising news—illustrate both the transformative potential and the risks of AI.

Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) set out its initial plans for the new digital markets competition regime. The regime is designed to support the UK’s tech sector and has its legal footing in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. The Act received royal assent in May 2024 but came into force on 1 January 2025.

With the 31 January Self-Assessment tax return filing deadline fast approaching, HM Revenue and Customs issued a press release last week noting that 5.4 million taxpayers are yet to complete their return.