Legislation

Can HMRC reforms solve liability issues between agency and umbrellas?

Cautious optimism has greeted the emergence of a potential solution for liability within incoming tax reforms to the umbrella industry and recruitment agency users.

13 June 2025

Employment tribunal claims on the rise compared to previous year

The latest Employment Tribunal Statistics have been published this week.

Legal, HR 13 June 2025

Minister tells recruiters about ‘road map’ for Employment Rights Bill at RECLive25

The government plans to issue a ‘road map’ for implementing the Employment Rights Bill (ERB), currently working its way through the House of Lords.

12 June 2025

Recruitment industry voices say little detail on workforce from the Chancellor

Recruitment industry observers have criticised Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s failure to move the UK ahead in specific commitments to workforce issues.

REC CEO hits back at government cuts to agency spend

Government calls to eliminate agency spend at the NHS have received a fiery response from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation.

Public sector, Social care 3 June 2025

Government health leaders threaten ‘rip-off temporary staffing agencies’

NHS trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) are being urged by government health leaders to eradicate agency spending to build on a £1bn fall in spending in 2024-25.

Public sector, Social care 3 June 2025

£1.5bn defence spending will create highly-skilled jobs in the UK

The UK government is to create more than 1,000 new jobs as a result of a £1.5bn defence investment.

Public sector, Engineering 2 June 2025

Government’s apprenticeship budget refocuses to ‘rebuild Britain’

The government has made radical changes to skills and training, including a refocus away from higher-level apprenticeship funding.

HMRC threatens individual with Stop Notice

In the first Stop Notices case of its kind, HMRC has threatened an individual with prosecution if they promote tax avoidance schemes.

15 May 2025

Government update on bad umbrellas “underwhelming”

Industry commentators have dismissed yesterday’s promise to introduce a statutory due diligence requirement later this year as “a big fat nothing burger”.

19 April 2024

LEGISLATION: Employment changes bring new rights from day one

Along with April showers, this month brings the UK a number of employment law and payment rate changes.

5 April 2024

Game-changing moment as HMRC eases up on double taxation

Experts say that changes for the IR35 legislation represent “a game-changing moment” in the history of the controversial legislation as a new policy aims to prevent double taxation.

4 April 2024

Recommendations for better integration to support refugees into work

The current integration of refugees system is “broken, expensive, inefficient and damaging” for both refugees and the UK, according to the chair of the Commission on the Integration of Refugees.

26 March 2024

IPS faces £900k penalty for failing to co-operate with HMRC

A tax avoidance promoter whose schemes were used by locum doctors and nurses faces a £900k penalty for failing to co-operate with HM Revenue & Customs, the tax authority announced today [22 March 2024].

Loan Charge campaigners ‘frustrated’ as HMRC ‘airbrushes’ history

The Loan Charge Action Group (LCAG) has reinforced its calls for a parliamentary inquiry as the loan charge continues to weigh heavily on Westminster.

19 March 2024

£60m funding as Sunak goes big on apprenticeships

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has unveiled a raft of reforms aimed at increasing apprenticeship numbers and doing away with red tape for small businesses.

Retail, IT/Telecoms 19 March 2024

Guide launched to prevent hiring fraud to combat epidemic levels

A guide to preventing hiring fraud has been launched today [13 March] as the UK encounters “epidemic levels” of increasingly more organised and sophisticated fraud committed during the hiring process.

IT/Telecoms, HR 13 March 2024

Spring Budget: Lukewarm response from recruitment industry

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget has received a lukewarm response from recruitment bodies and others with interests in the sector.

7 March 2024

Recruiters and employers want changes to help hiring in Budget

Councils in England will be told to cut spending on consultants and diversity schemes when Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivers his Spring Budget on Wednesday, the BBC reports.

5 March 2024

Warning over new tax avoidance scheme exposed by HMRC

A complex tax avoidance scheme that moves income offshore has been exposed by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) last Thursday [29 February 2024], with anyone who has joined the arrangement warned to get out of it as soon as possible.

5 March 2024

Loan Charge crisis rumbles on with uncovering of new notices

The Loan Charge scandal has been engulfed by further condemnation, with the uncovering of the highly controversial s.684 notices yesterday by Sky News [20 February 2024] as politicians round on the crisis and call for a full investigation on the matter.

21 February 2024

14 recruitment companies make HMRC shame list

Staffline and Randstad Solutions are among the recruitment businesses named yesterday [20 February] by HMRC for failing to pay workers the National Minimum Wage (NMW).

21 February 2024

APPG launches to highlight flexible family-friendly working

A Flexible and Family-Friendly Working All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) was launched in the House of Commons yesterday [6 February 2024].

7 February 2024

Calls for reform of Apprenticeship Levy in National Apprentice Week

Numerous big names in British business and academia are highlighting new opportunities in their organisations for apprentices during the UK’s National Apprentice Week, as calls continue for government reform of the Apprenticeship Levy.

Loan Charge debate gets muted response from government

An impassioned debate last Thursday [18 January 2024] about the Loan Charge and Tax Fairness in the House of Commons led to little reaction from the finance secretary to the Treasury, Nigel Huddleston.

23 January 2024
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