EY estimates the Chancellor’s fiscal headroom at £11.3bn ahead of the Autumn Budget, down from £23.6bn in March. A prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could reduce headroom by a further £18bn, moving the current budget to a deficit of around £7bn and breaching the fiscal rule, while stronger growth would ease pressure. Manifesto pledges protect around 70% of UK tax revenues, leaving wealth-based taxes, capital gains and sector-specific levies among realistic options at the Autumn Budget.

France’s borrowing costs smashing through 5% is the starkest sign yet the world’s debt order has flipped, with rich nations now paying the kind of price once reserved for serial defaulters like Argentina.

Joe Sullivan, Partner at MHA, comments on today's S&P Global UK Construction PMI data: "The latest PMI shows construction that activity has picked up since August but optimism is low. Activity continues to be held back by affordability pressures, delayed investment decisions and uncertainty over when major projects will actually move from planning to procurement and onto site.

A York Transformational Life Coach who built a senior corporate career while battling imposter syndrome is on a mission to help other women unlock their highest potential. Diane Spence spent decades working in leadership roles at blue-chip companies including Nestlé and Asda. But while her life appeared successful on the outside, inside she was plagued with feelings of self-doubt.

The 11th Leeds Digital Festival has concluded as the most varied and inclusive edition in its history, cementing its position as a catalyst for commercial development and employment across the North.

Global professional services firm, Aon plc has welcomed four graduates and one industrial placement student to its Leeds office as part of its Early Careers programme. The new recruits will gain meaningful hands-on experience across Actuarial Consulting, Client Management and Investing Consulting.

Manchester-based manufacturer, Duo Packaging, has created a ‘next generation’ graphene-enhanced flexible packaging film in ‘a never seen before’ move that is set to push the boundaries of sustainability in retail and e-commerce.

The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism over prospects for the UK economy, fell to -54 in September, from -49 in August 2026. In contrast, business leaders became significantly more optimistic about the prospects for their own organisations, with confidence rising to +10, from -5 in August.

Business volumes in the financial services sector fell at a modest pace in the three months to September, following a rapid decline in Q2. The quarterly survey, conducted between 1 and 17 September 2026, also found that both sentiment and profitability among FS firms fell at slower rates in the three months to September. Headcount in the sector rose at a fast pace over the same period.

Yorkshire luxury functional hot chocolate brand 80Noir Ultra® is preparing to expand into Europe after securing a total of £110,000 in investment and grant funding. The wellness business has received £50,000 in angel investment to fund its wider growth.

AI is moving rapidly from an experimental technology to an everyday part of business, reshaping how organisations communicate, make decisions, manage employees and interact with customers. But as businesses race to capture the productivity and efficiency gains, another issue is becoming increasingly important: trust.

Britain's business leaders have broadly welcomed Andy Burnham's first Labour Party Conference speech as Prime Minister, praising his willingness to confront difficult choices on pensions and public spending – while making it abundantly clear that warm words will count for little unless next month's Budget eases the pressure on firms.

Back catalogue fuels the recovery ZOO Digital Group plc, the AIM-listed localisation and digital media services partner to the global media and entertainment industry, expects first-half revenues of at least $23.0 million, an increase on both halves of the previous financial year.

Chancellor John Healey's pledge to back British industry and revive workplace training won a warm reception today, but business groups were quick to add a price tag.

Firms across the private sector expect activity to fall in the three months to December (weighted balance of -14%), according to the CBI’s latest Growth Indicator. The latest results extend a period of negative predictions for growth that has persisted since late 2024.

Most people don’t expect to encounter a bully once they’ve left the school playground behind. Yet workplace bullying remains an uncomfortable reality across many organisations. It rarely appears as outright aggression; more often, it shows up through dismissive remarks, exclusion, or a steady pattern of behaviour that leaves someone feeling undermined.

Law firm Ward Hadaway has retained seven newly qualified solicitors across its offices in northern England following the completion of their training contracts.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is key to growth for Yorkshire and North East SMEs, but implementation at scale remains the exception – new research has found. More than half (56%) of regional business leaders surveyed by BGF – the UK and Ireland’s most active growth capital investor – and Beauhurst, view AI as a growth driver.

Tax increases, inflationary pressures and the threat of a cyber attack are key concerns facing family-owned, privately owned and owner-managed businesses in Yorkshire, according to new research from accountancy and business advisory firm Armstrong Watson.

Yorkshire based construction company Hobson & Porter has completed work on the energy efficiency-led refurbishment of a sheltered and supported living development in Hornsea, transforming a 1970s building into 14 modern one-bedroom apartments.

Thirteen Yorkshire and Humber manufacturing leaders have been recognised in Make UK's new 130 Honours, celebrating people shaping the future of UK manufacturing. The Yorkshire and Humber honourees showcase the region's manufacturing strength, spanning global engineering, advanced materials, research and specialist production.