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Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her second Budget today under chaotic circumstances, as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) accidentally released its economic forecasts before she had even taken to the despatch box. Reeves branded the breach "deeply disappointing" and a "serious error", co

An increase in public sector borrowing is intensifying pressure ahead of the Autumn Budget, Professor Joe Nellis writes. Public sector borrowing came in at £17.43bn for October, painting a challenging picture for the public finances and reinforcing the fiscal squeeze facing the Chancellor ahea

Dundee-based SPAR wholesaler and convenience retailer CJ Lang & Son Ltd has reported a small rise in turnover to £255 million and a decline in operating profit to £2.5 million. In its financial statement for the year ended 27 April 2025, the family-owned business reported a year of r

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has stressed that the fight against fraud must continue as its annual detected fraud data reveals that £1.16 billion worth of fraudulent general insurance claims were identified in 2024 – a 2% increase on the £1.14bn detected the previous y

Insolvency-related activity rose by 17% in Scotland last month, according to R3. The restructuring, turnaround and insolvency trade body's analysis of data provided by CreditSafe indicated an increase in insolvency-related activities from 106 in September to 124 in October.

KPMG is reducing the pay ranges for new and promoted staff in its UK offices near London, aligning salaries in commuter belt towns such as Reading and Watford with regional centres like Birmingham and Manchester. The shake-up means individuals joining or achieving promotion in these locations may be

Scotland’s mainstream housing market is forecast to be one of the top-performing regions in the UK, with property values projected to rise by 27.6% over the next five years, according to new analysis from Savills. This robust growth significantly outpaces the 22.2% increase Savills projects fo

Based on its third-quarter results, Standard Chartered PLC has upgraded its full-year outlook after a strong performance driven by its wealth and global banking divisions. For the three months ending 30 September 2025, the bank reported an underlying operating income of $5.1 billion (c. £3.9bn

A mortgage price war has been initiated by four of the UK's six largest banks, which have cut their fixed-rate deals in response to positive news on inflation. Santander and NatWest reduced their rates on Tuesday, following similar moves by Barclays and HSBC last Friday. The reductions are a respons

PwC has reduced its global workforce and abandoned an ambitious five-year hiring target as it contends with slowing revenue growth, the impact of internal scandals, and the rise of artificial intelligence. The Big Four accounting firm cut its global staff by 5,600 in the year to 30 June, bringing it

Evelyn Partners has appointed ex-professional rugby player Chris Dean to its Edinburgh financial planning team. He spent over a decade with Edinburgh Rugby Club, and with more than 150 appearances became the club’s most-capped centre in its history. His appointment in a business development ro

Falkland-founded bottler Saltire Rare Malt is celebrating the festive season with the launch of its first-ever Christmas special: a Tamnavulin 17-Year-Old single malt.

Embrace Steel Group has appointed Glasgow-based Ross McAdam as its new chief executive officer. Mr McAdam, who joined the UK firm as chief financial officer earlier this year, succeeds Martin Kelly, who will remain with the business in a non-executive capacity to support the transition.

Criminals stole £629.3 million through payment fraud in the first six months of 2025, a 3% increase compared to the same period last year, according to a new report from UK Finance. The data revealed a 17% rise in the number of confirmed cases, totalling over 2.09 million incidents.

The UK's inflation rate remained unchanged at 3.8% in September, holding at the same level for the third consecutive month, according to official figures. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) defied economists' forecasts, which had predicted the rate would climb to 4%.