Author: Scott Dylan

Professional networking platform LinkedIn is facing increasing demands to terminate the account of Sam Wall, a 55-year-old digital marketing strategist from Cheadle, who has been sentenced to 28 months in prison. Wall pleaded guilty to charges of stalking, harassment, and malicious communication. Despite her conviction and the issuance of a restraining order by the court, Wall’s LinkedIn Premium profile, boasting nearly 27,000 followers, remained active as of the time of reporting.Wall’s victims, motivational speaker Brad Burton and tech entrepreneur Naomi Timperley, have publicly criticised LinkedIn for its failure to enforce its user protection policies, even post-conviction. The two victims were…

A fresh report by the Autonomy Institute reveals that firms which contributed to Labour have been granted contracts by the government totalling nearly £138 million within the party’s initial year in power. This revelation has sparked renewed debates on political transparency and the integrity of the procurement process.The report has highlighted patterns reminiscent of those observed during the previous Conservative regime. Anti-corruption campaigners are now advocating for reforms to exclude companies that make donations to political parties from bidding for public contracts.Key FindingsThe report identified eight firms that collectively donated £580,000 to Labour between July 2024 and June 2025. These…

Apple Inc. has faced a significant setback in a UK competition case. The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) declared that the corporation had exploited its dominant stature in the digital app market, resulting in overcharging millions of iPhone and iPad users for apps and in-app purchases.The lawsuit was brought forward by Dr Rachael Kent, a senior lecturer at King’s College London, representing nearly 36 million UK consumers and businesses. The tribunal found that Apple’s practices led to unjust and excessive pricing over a decade, violating competition law.Dr Kent’s case marks a pivotal legal turning point as the first successful collective action…

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), a body sponsored by the Welsh government, has settled a £14.6 million tax dispute with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) following an admission of past failures to adhere to the UK’s IR35 off-payroll working rules. The settlement includes a suspended penalty of £2.9 million that will remain on hold for a year. The tax liability arose from incorrect determinations of the employment status of contractors hired between 2017 and recent years.The issue began in 2017, when the responsibility for assessing IR35 status shifted from contractors to the organisations employing them, as part of broader off-payroll reforms…

JPMorgan Chase, the world’s largest bank by assets, has greenlit the use of its proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) system to assist employees in drafting annual performance reviews. This reflects the swift assimilation of AI-generated content into corporate workflows.The AI tool, a large language model (LLM), enables employees to generate review drafts based on prompts, simplifying a typically time-consuming process in large-scale organisations. The system is already in use following an extensive period of internal testing.AI in the Workplace: Productivity and Ethical QuestionsThe bank’s decision to use AI in this manner underscores the potential for productivity enhancements and also raises ethical…

Recent research by the Global Payroll Alliance (GPA) reveals that the annual salary expenditure of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has heightened by £29.4 million over the previous year. The surge is primarily attributed to an uptick in senior-level employment. Between August 2024 and August 2025, HMRC’s core workforce expanded by 3.6 per cent, increasing the full-time equivalent positions from 64,580 to 66,880. Although much of this growth was noted at the middle-grade level, it was the elevation in higher-paid staff that significantly affected the cost. GPA’s report indicated that the number of Executive Officer roles, which are among…

The protracted dispute over the ownership and data security of TikTok’s US operations has reached a resolution. The United States and China have reached a conclusive agreement on the matter, according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. This development stands as a significant landmark in the ongoing negotiations between the two nations concerning the popular video-sharing application.Scott Bessent confirmed the development in a discussion on CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’. The formal endorsement of this transaction is expected to take place during an upcoming bilateral meeting in Korea between President Donald Trump of the US and China’s President Xi Jinping.Bessent highlighted…

The newly appointed Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle MP, has declared his intention to harness artificial intelligence (AI) and fast-track deregulation to stimulate economic growth. This announcement is part of the UK government’s broader strategy to rejuvenate the national economy.Kyle’s strategy was unveiled during his speech at the UKAI Conference at the University of Sussex, where over 200 business and technology leaders were in attendance. He drew comparisons between the government’s role and corporate leadership, insisting that innovation was the key to overcoming an economic crisis, not austerity or caution.Using Apple’s resurgence under Steve Jobs as…

Senior executives from the UK’s leading supermarket chains have raised concerns that a potential rise in taxes on the retail sector could drive food prices higher. This warning comes in anticipation of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ forthcoming budget. The executives have expressed their apprehensions through a collective letter to the Treasury.The letter, signed by leaders from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose, M&S, and Iceland, predicts that any increase in business rates or other industry levies will inevitably result in a financial burden for households.The letter further highlights the possibility of persisting high food inflation into 2026, a consequence of…

The UK Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has not expressly denied the possibility of an income tax increase in the upcoming Budget, stirring speculation that she may reverse a key pledge made in the Labour manifesto to maintain the nation’s fiscal balance. Despite previous affirmations to keep taxes for working people to a minimum, Reeves has refrained from reiterating her commitment from earlier not to raise income tax, National Insurance, or VAT.Reeves’ comments, delivered during a visit to Leeds, mark a notable departure from her stance in September, where she asserted that Labour’s manifesto commitments would be honoured. The 2024 Labour manifesto…