A new three-year impact report from UK Boardroom Apprentice has highlighted the programme’s role in widening access to board roles, building confidence among aspiring members, and creating stronger pathways into public life. The evaluation summary, covering 2023 to 2025, shows growing demand for the 12-month learning, development, and placement initiative.

Accountancy and professional services firm DJH has strengthened its tax offering with the acquisition of specialist tax practice Forbes Dawson. The fast-growing firm, which operates across Yorkshire, the North West, the Midlands, and the South East, has welcomed Forbes Dawson into the group as part of its latest expansion plans.

Humber Freeport has showcased opportunities that have the potential to deliver up to £3bn of further transformational investment and 5,000 jobs. The development opportunities are set out in full for the first time in Humber Freeport’s new Investment Prospectus, launched at UKREiiF, the UK’s leading event for investment, regeneration, property and infrastructure.

While today’s labour market figures point to a stable and more positive picture than seen in recent months, in reality the landscape is shifting for UK employers. Although unemployment is holding at 5% and vacancies remaining at 3.9% - coupled with an increase in redundancies there is a clear lack of hiring confidence in the UK.

Climb26, the flagship business festival created by ClimbUK, returns to Royal Armouries Museum and Leeds Dock on 1 and 2 July, bringing together thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, operators and business leaders for two days designed to help ambitious businesses grow. Now in its fourth year, the event has built a reputation for doing things differently.

FTSE 100 on the back foot in early trades as crude prices ramp higher. Mining stocks lose ground as China data disappoints while energy giants rise as crude shoots higher again. The UK’s leadership crisis continues, with gilt investors the canaries in Labour’s coalmine. Both 10-year and 30-year gilts rise to fresh multi-decade highs. Anglo American shape shifts again, offloading its Australian steelmaking coal business.