Category: Business News

February saw changes for the alcohol industry come into force that particularly affected winemakers. A temporary easement has been in place for wine that has treated wines with an alcohol by volume (abv) between 11.5% and 14.5% as if their abv was 12.5%. It was announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget that the easement would end on 1 February 2025. There have been calls to make the easement permanent, however the government has confirmed that the easement would end as planned.

Pemberton Timber Frame Ltd from Kent has been fined and ordered to pay costs following an avoidable injury to one of its workers. The company manufactures timber frame structures for the construction industry. One of its workers was operating a panel saw and was asked to perform a rip cut on a length of timber, i.e. cut down its thickness.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, delivered a speech last week that served as an update on the government’s plans for delivering economic growth. The plan largely focused on developments proposed around Oxford and Cambridge as well as a third runway at Heathrow. Here are some of the highlights from the speech.

Severe weather can be an enormous challenge for businesses, and we have seen plenty of it recently. Power outages, property damage, and forced downtime are not just disruptions—they can feel like setbacks that threaten months or years of hard work. If your business has been affected by recent storms, you are not alone, and it’s important to remember that resilience is built in moments like these.

A recent investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) independent inquiry group has revealed that competition in the UK cloud services market is not functioning as effectively as it could. Cloud services form the backbone of modern business operations, supporting industries ranging from financial services and retail to digital start-ups and public services.

Concern has been raised about various shops and service firms not accepting cash and therefore excluding those who rely on cash to pay for things. While some countries appear to be planning to put rules in place that require essential services to accept cash, the UK does not seem as though it will be following suit.

28 January 2025 was Data Protection Day and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) used it to highlight the opportunities and challenges related to AI and data protection. AI adoption is integral to the government’s growth plans, however the ICO are keen to make sure that the opportunities AI brings are taken up in a way that keeps people safe.

As part of the government’s efforts to drive economic growth, the Trade Secretary has appointed a new ‘global growth team’ of UK Trade Envoys with the goal of driving UK exports and investment. 32 MPs have been assigned target markets across the globe and have been tasked with identifying trade and investment opportunities for businesses as well as championing the UK as the place to invest for investors in those markets.