AI & Innovation

The Chancellor announced a package of measures to expand the use of artificial intelligence across the UK, with aims to support domestic AI firms and address associated risks. [HM Treasury]

The Money Advice Liaison Group (MALG), in partnership with WyserAI, has received funding from the Money and Pensions Service to deliver a project aimed at building AI fluency and confidence among money advice professionals. [Credit-Connect]

The CMA has published an analysis of how agentic AI may affect consumers, the legal framework that applies, and the steps businesses should take to manage associated risks. [CMA]

The CMA has issued guidance setting out how businesses can deploy agentic AI while meeting their obligations under consumer law. [CMA]

Alphabet's market capitalisation fell by approximately $500bn after the company disclosed that its AI-generated search summaries are reducing ad revenue, pushing the stock to a six-month low. [BBC News]

Fico's 2026 State of Responsible AI study, produced with Corinium Global Intelligence, found that only 5.2% of technology leaders are confident in their ability to explain AI-driven decisions to stakeholders. [Credit-Connect]

Workers in India are being paid to film themselves carrying out everyday tasks, with the footage sold to technology companies to use as training data for AI models. [BBC News]

A survey of UK finance leaders found that 90% report a clear business case for deploying AI in cash and liquidity management, though only 71% say they can measure the business value their AI initiatives generate. [Credit-Connect]

KPMG's latest research finds that organisations are shifting their AI priorities from capability and deployment toward governance, security, and management at scale, marking what the firm describes as a new management era for the technology. [Credit-Connect]

Energy

Ofgem has published a strategy for tackling domestic energy debt, setting out a planned approach described as a 'circuit breaker' to reduce outstanding household balances. [Ofgem]

DESNZ set out the energy bill implications of the Autumn Budget 2026, framing the package as creating relief for households facing cost-of-living pressures. [DESNZ]

The government announced the removal of standing charges from household gas bills, a change that will affect around 23 million homes, with costs to be moved onto the unit rate instead. [DESNZ]

Millions of households in England and Wales are to receive letters confirming eligibility for a £150 Warm Home Discount off their energy bills for the coming winter. [DESNZ]

Chancellor John Healey's first Budget included a £100 payment toward household energy bills, alongside a tax on banks, with opposition parties arguing the measures did not go far enough. [BBC News]

Cornwall Insight forecast a rise in the energy price cap beyond the 4% increase that took effect on 1 October, predicting a larger increase in the new year. [Credit-Connect]

Energy UK's Chief Executive Dhara Vyas responded to the government's gas standing charge announcement, noting that moving those costs onto the unit rate would have varying effects across different households. [Energy UK]

Energy UK published a report calling on the government to reduce the cost of electricity relative to gas, warning that failure to do so would leave homes and businesses locked into higher energy costs. [Energy UK]

Energy UK repeated its warning that the government should act to prevent another energy bills crisis, pointing to forecasts of the steepest price cap rise in four years and ongoing customer affordability pressures. [Energy UK]

The energy price cap rose by 4% to £1,723 from 1 October, with Energy UK's Ned Hammond noting the increase arrives at a difficult time for household finances. [Energy UK]

The Energy Ombudsman published analysis of the benefits of smart meters alongside complaints data, setting out the consumer issues it has observed in that area. [Energy Ombudsman]

The Money Advice Trust welcomed Budget measures aimed at reducing the UK's £5 billion energy debt stock, signalling support for government action in this area. [Money Advice Trust]

Christians Against Poverty published guidance on eligibility for the £100 energy payment announced in the Autumn Budget. [Christians Against Poverty]

Christians Against Poverty warned that the Autumn Budget does not adequately protect the lowest-income households from an anticipated large rise in energy prices in January. [Christians Against Poverty]

The government announced a reduction in charging costs at local, lower-powered electric vehicle chargers, which it estimates will save affected drivers around £150 a year. [HM Treasury]

Financial Services & Banking

FCA data shows financial services firms recorded 1.85 million complaints in the first half of 2026, a 6.3% rise on the previous period, with 54.8% of complaints upheld. [Credit-Connect]

A survey found that 36% of British households with annual incomes below £40,000 reported skipping meals or eating less due to financial pressures in the three months to the survey date. [Credit-Connect]

Research from the Centre for Responsible Credit estimates that around 3.5 million low- to middle-income households in Britain — 44% of credit users in that group — cannot afford both essential living costs and credit repayments. [Credit-Connect]

Bank of England data for Q3 2026 shows credit card defaults rose in the three months to August, with banks and building societies forecasting further increases by November. [Credit-Connect]

Ahead of the Budget, the Chancellor announced five measures aimed at reducing household costs and supporting working families, including changes to address the Carer's Allowance earnings cliff edge. [HM Treasury]

The Guardian outlined strategies for early mortgage repayment, noting that even modest regular overpayments can reduce the total interest paid over a mortgage term. [The Guardian]

Following the 2026 Budget's increase in savings tax rates, the Guardian set out options available to savers seeking to reduce their tax liability on savings income. [The Guardian]

The Guardian reported that 'session cookies' — data stored after a user logs into an online account — are being targeted by fraudsters as a method of gaining access to financial and other accounts without requiring passwords. [The Guardian]

Water

Yorkshire Water chief executive Nicola Shaw, who has led the company since 2022, will step down in January following the firm's regulatory downgrade by Ofwat. [BBC News]

Debt & Personal Finance

Official figures from the Accountant in Bankruptcy show that personal insolvencies in Scotland rose 31% to 2,348 in Q2 2026–27, compared with the same period in the previous year. [Credit-Connect]

A survey found that 36% of British households with annual incomes below £40,000 reported skipping meals or eating less due to financial pressures in the three months to the survey date. [Credit-Connect]

StepChange Debt Charity published research finding that shame and stigma are factors that deter people from seeking debt advice, contributing to delays in accessing support. [StepChange]

StepChange Debt Charity reported that rising default rates point to increasing financial pressure on households across Britain. [StepChange]

The co-chairs of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment published an update in October 2026 on the progress of the review, which is examining the assessment and delivery of PIP. [DWP]

The Department for Work and Pensions announced a £1.2 billion anti-fraud package, including the first use of new enforcement powers designed to recover funds lost to benefit fraud. [DWP]

The Insolvency Service published its latest release of individual insolvency statistics for England and Wales, together with related figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland. [Insolvency Service]

Research by Standard Life found that one in five adults aged 18–80 — equivalent to approximately 10.4 million people — are not planning for their financial futures, with being 'too busy' cited as the primary reason by one in three parents. [Credit-Connect]

Housing & Rental

More than 40,000 planned social homes remain unfunded following the government's latest allocation of affordable housing grant, according to analysis published by the National Housing Federation on 9 October 2026. [National Housing Federation]

Shelter estimates that 370,000 of England's poorest private renting households are left with insufficient income to cover a weekly food shop after paying rent and basic bills. [Shelter]

Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosted the first Rough Sleeping Summit at 10 Downing Street on 26 October 2026, with the National Housing Federation positioning housing associations as delivery partners in efforts to end rough sleeping. [National Housing Federation]

Shelter published a response to the Budget, setting out its assessment of the measures announced and their implications for housing affordability and homelessness. [Shelter]

The government has unveiled details of the Your First Home scheme and a new First Time Buyer ISA, while announcing further tax increases for landlords as part of the Budget. [Which?]

Regulatory & Competition

The CMA has fined several firms a combined £6 million for misleading sales tactics, with approximately £440,000 in refunds to be returned to affected customers. [CMA]

The CMA has published guidance explaining how consumers can claim refunds or compensation when the authority has ordered a business to make such payments. [CMA]

The CMA has published an overview of its ongoing work to promote competition and innovation across digital markets in the UK. [CMA]

The FCA announced that the Upper Tribunal will hear legal challenges to its motor finance compensation scheme in February 2027, following challenges brought by three firms against the scheme. [Credit-Connect]

Three years after the introduction of the Consumer Duty, the FCA published findings on how 'fair value' is being applied in practice across financial services firms. [FCA]

The FCA called on private market firms to strengthen their management of conflicts of interest, citing the rapid growth of the sector as a prompt for the intervention. [FCA]

Energy

Cornwall Insight forecast that a typical household's annual gas and electricity bill will rise to £1,999 from January, which would represent the largest increase in four years. [BBC News]

Total domestic energy debt in Britain has exceeded £5 billion for the first time, according to Ofgem's latest debt and arrears data covering balances outstanding for more than 91 days. [StepChange]

Citizens Advice found that energy supplier customer service is improving but at a slow pace, and called on suppliers to do more to support households before winter in its latest Star Rating report. [Credit-Connect]

Energy UK set out five points for consumers ahead of the October price cap rise, noting that persistently high energy bills continue to add to cost-of-living pressures following a period of elevated gas prices. [Energy UK]

The government announced plans to accelerate grid connection timescales for families and businesses, with the reforms intended to reduce energy bills by removing bottlenecks in the connections queue. [DESNZ]

Money Advice Trust reported that many households remain burdened by energy debt accumulated during earlier periods of high prices, even as bills increase again under the latest price cap. [Money Advice Trust]

The government committed £90 million to expand and upgrade heat networks, with the investment expected to lower energy bills for hundreds of thousands of households connected to communal heating systems. [DESNZ]

Citizens Advice called on energy suppliers to improve customer service standards ahead of winter, citing the pressure that colder months place on household energy use and consumer demand for support. [Citizens Advice]

A joint IFS and LSE report, published as part of the IFS Green Budget and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found that government promotion of time-varying electricity tariffs could reduce consumer bills and ease cost-of-living pressures. [Credit-Connect]

DESNZ published research examining what support the public needs during the transition to low-carbon heating, including when and how consumers should be engaged throughout that process. [DESNZ]

More than 120 organisations, including Energy UK and Age UK, wrote to the government urging it to remove policy levies embedded in electricity bills, arguing the current structure places a disproportionate burden on consumers. [Credit-Connect]

Christians Against Poverty published guidance for consumers in Northern Ireland setting out the schemes, grants, and funding available to help with energy bills. [Christians Against Poverty]

A report following an inquiry into consumer affordability found that water, energy, and broadband regulators should strengthen their role in supporting consumers who struggle to pay their bills. [Credit-Connect]

The government announced funding for communities across Wales to develop and manage their own local clean energy projects, as part of efforts to decarbonise energy supply. [DESNZ]

The government launched a 'People's Power' initiative to enable communities across the UK to build and control their own clean energy supply at a local level. [DESNZ]

DESNZ published a call for evidence on how artificial intelligence could be used to develop the clean energy system, seeking views on opportunities, risks, and barriers to adoption. [DESNZ]

DESNZ published a special feature article in its September 2026 Energy Trends release examining the state of competition in UK electricity markets in 2025. [DESNZ]

Financial Services & Banking

Treasury Minister Lucy Rigby officially opened the UK's 250th banking hub in Chepstow, part of a programme to maintain access to cash and in-person banking services in communities across the country. [HM Treasury]

The FCA has secured the return of funds to victims of crypto fraud, though the regulator has not disclosed the total amount recovered or the number of individuals affected. [FCA]

Fraudsters are targeting students by attempting to intercept a portion of the approximately £2.6 billion in student maintenance payments distributed each September, using deceptive text messages to solicit personal or account details. [The Guardian]

The FCA has issued a warning to people seeking debt advice, urging them to use free, impartial, and trustworthy services after the regulator identified firms providing unsuitable or misleading guidance. [Credit-Connect]

The FCA has directed twenty-four contracts-for-difference (CFD) firms to close following a crackdown on the misuse of UK financial authorisation, with the action announced on 25 September 2026. [FCA]

The FCA opened its regulatory gateway for crypto firms on 30 September 2026, marking the start of a formal authorisation regime for the sector in the UK. [FCA]

Financial firms have increased efforts to close suspected money mule accounts, though the FCA found on 23 September 2026 that further action is still needed to address the scale of the problem. [FCA]

Bank of England data for August show net mortgage borrowing rose to £4.4 billion from £4.1 billion in July, though the figure remained below the previous six-month average. [Credit-Connect]

Consumer credit borrowing increased to £2.5 billion in August, up from £2.1 billion in July and above the prior six-month average of £1.9 billion, with credit card borrowing accounting for £1.2 billion of the total. [Credit-Connect]

Research from Newcastle Building Society found that young adults are using AI tools for financial guidance but continue to prefer face-to-face interactions with advisers for substantive financial decisions. [Credit-Connect]

Analysis of FCA data obtained via a freedom of information request shows that mortgage sales to borrowers with impaired credit histories have reached their highest level since 2008. [Credit-Connect]

Research by Yorkshire Building Society, conducted with the University of Bradford, found that millions of households that currently appear financially stable could be exposed to financial shocks if their circumstances change. [Credit-Connect]

Water

Citizens Advice responded to the Prime Minister's announcement on the water industry, setting out its position on the reforms proposed for the sector. [Citizens Advice]

Complaints about water companies reached a 20-year high, according to the Consumer Council for Water's latest annual household complaints report. [Credit-Connect]

Debt & Personal Finance

The Insolvency Service is encouraging people who paid the fee for a debt relief order (DRO) but did not complete their application to contact the agency for a refund before the end of the year. [Insolvency Service]

Analysis by debt advice provider PayPlan found that the average person seeking debt advice in 2026 holds ten separate unsecured debts and is left with around £194 per month after meeting essential costs. [Credit-Connect]

The Insolvency Service has published its monthly individual insolvency statistics for August 2026, covering bankruptcies, debt relief orders, and individual voluntary arrangements in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. [Insolvency Service]

The Money and Pensions Service has launched a debt recovery toolkit aimed at creditors, debt advice agencies, and other organisations, calling on them to strengthen their approach to debt recovery. [Credit-Connect]

StepChange has reported that rising credit card debt is placing growing pressure on household finances, based on data from clients seeking debt advice. [StepChange]

The Insolvency Service has published a new five-year strategy focused on earlier intervention for individuals and businesses in financial difficulty, faster returns to the economy, and increased action against fraud. [Insolvency Service]

StepChange has advised people seeking debt advice to look out for red flags that may indicate untrustworthy or fee-charging providers operating in the debt advice market. [StepChange]

Personal insolvencies in England and Wales fell 2% in August 2026 compared with the previous month, with 11,644 individuals entering insolvency, according to Insolvency Service data. [Credit-Connect]

Business insolvencies in Scotland fell to 73 in August 2026, a 23% decrease compared with August 2025, according to figures from the Accountant in Bankruptcy. [Credit-Connect]

Money Wellness, four MPs, and twelve organisations have called for the public insolvency register to be made private, citing risks to individuals such as those fleeing domestic abuse whose details are currently publicly accessible. [Credit-Connect]

The DWP has set out its pathway for implementing the Multiple Default Consolidator solution to address the accumulation of small pension pots in the defined contribution market. [DWP]

AI & Innovation

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said that regulating AI is "not the right place to start", arguing instead that the technology requires "rigorous" testing and safeguards to contain risk before regulatory frameworks are applied. [BBC News]

Restructuring, turnaround and insolvency professionals report making early progress with AI adoption but face barriers to wider use, with the sector calling for clearer guidance on how the technology should be applied in their work. [Credit-Connect]

Ofcom research found that just over half of online UK consumers have used AI to help manage their telecoms services, while a majority still place value on having access to human contact when dealing with providers. [Ofcom]

NatWest research warns that the UK risks an AI adoption divide, with some businesses embedding the technology across their operations while smaller companies remain at an experimental stage and may miss out on the associated benefits. [Credit-Connect]

Housing & Rental

English councils are spending more than £8 million a day on temporary accommodation, according to figures published by Shelter. [Shelter]

More than six million people who expect to pay housing costs in retirement do not know how they will afford them, according to research from Royal London, which found approximately one in several adults of working age in this position. [Credit-Connect]

The Housing Ombudsman's Annual Complaints Review for 2025–26 found that more residents are bringing complaints to the service while more landlords are resolving issues before they escalate to the Ombudsman. [Housing Ombudsman]

The national government published new guidance on 3 September 2026 to help developers, local councils, and housing associations collaborate earlier in the planning process to deliver affordable homes through Section 106 agreements. [National Housing Federation]

More than half of parents who charge their adult children rent are using the income to help those children purchase their first home, according to research into what has been termed Britain's 'Mumlords and Dadlords'. [Credit-Connect]

Regulatory & Competition

The CMA published an open letter to heating oil suppliers reminding them that contract terms and conditions with consumers must be fair and transparent under consumer protection law. [CMA]

The CMA has designated Google as having strategic market status (SMS) in general search and search advertising services, a designation that subjects the company to additional regulatory obligations under the digital markets regime. [CMA]

The CMA commenced a consumer protection review of the supply of heating oil to domestic consumers, examining whether suppliers are complying with their obligations under consumer law. [CMA]

Ofcom has opened investigations into two telecoms companies over their suspected failure to prevent scammers from misusing their phone numbers. [Ofcom]

Which? reported that widespread misconceptions among consumers about the scope of their home insurance cover may leave some policyholders inadequately protected when making a claim. [Which?]

Which? examined the frequency of banking IT outages across UK banks, attributing disruptions to ageing computer systems, third-party failures, and cyberattacks. [Which?]

Energy

Energy UK reports that domestic energy debt is likely to have reached a record £6 billion in the first half of the year, with the figure expected to rise further following Ofgem's announcement of an October price cap increase. [Energy UK]

Citizens Advice has responded to Ofgem's latest energy price cap announcement, commenting on what the level of the cap means for household energy costs. [Citizens Advice]

More than a third of people in Britain reported being worried about affording their energy bills this winter, according to Citizens Advice. [Citizens Advice]

The government has published guidance explaining how a VAT reduction on household electricity bills will be applied, setting out what consumers can expect in terms of savings and implementation. [DESNZ]

StepChange has warned that a deepening energy debt crisis is emerging as the price cap rises again, placing further pressure on households already in arrears. [StepChange]

The government has identified communities across more than 40 locations that will be eligible for electricity bill reductions under a scheme offering savings of thousands of pounds to households living near new pylon infrastructure. [DESNZ]

DESNZ has published the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount scheme in England and Wales for the 2026 to 2027 scheme year, setting out which households qualify for the rebate. [DESNZ]

Energy UK's Deputy Director for Customers, Ned Hammond, noted that Ofgem's October price cap increase was in line with prior predictions, while acknowledging the pressure further rises place on consumers. [Energy UK]

Energy UK has called on the government to introduce a social discount for low-income households, arguing that persistently high energy bills over recent years have demonstrated the need for a more enduring support mechanism. [Energy UK]

The Energy Ombudsman has published its H1 2026 data on domestic and business energy complaints, providing figures on case volumes, resolution rates, and redress awarded. [Energy Ombudsman]

The Money Advice Trust described energy price increases as a 'bitter blow' to households while setting out options available to government to ease the pressure on those struggling with bills. [Money Advice Trust]

Christians Against Poverty has reported that energy bills at a three-year high are contributing to spiralling debt for households unable to afford their energy costs, with the organisation warning the problem is not receiving adequate public attention. [Christians Against Poverty]

DESNZ has published the first regional breakdown of solar panel installations in the UK, coinciding with figures showing installations have reached record levels among both households and businesses. [DESNZ]

Citizens Advice has outlined six points consumers should be aware of ahead of plug-in solar panels becoming available on UK shelves, covering issues including product standards and consumer rights. [Citizens Advice]

A record number of households using heating oil have applied for heat pumps through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which offers a grant of £9,000 toward installation costs. [DESNZ]

Plug-in solar panels have become legal to purchase and use in the UK, with the government stating that households could save hundreds of pounds annually on energy bills as a result. [DESNZ]

Financial Services & Banking

The FCA advises savers not to invest in unregulated loan notes or mini-bonds, cautioning that promises of high returns on such products frequently precede financial loss and that these instruments fall outside the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. [FCA]

Impersonation scams, in which callers or text messages pose as banks, HMRC or the police, are reported to be increasing in frequency in the UK, with fraudsters in some cases obtaining PINs and account access from victims holding substantial sums. [The Guardian]

Homebuyers in the UK have lost sums ranging from tens of thousands of pounds to £300,000 through so-called Friday afternoon fraud, in which criminals intercept conveyancing emails and redirect completion funds by posing as solicitors or estate agents. [The Guardian]

Fraudsters are reported to be using holiday photographs posted on Instagram and Facebook to craft personalised phishing emails seeking victims' bank account details, with AI tools enabling the creation of contextually tailored messages at scale. [The Guardian]

FCA research published on 27 August 2026 found that young investors place greater trust in AI-generated financial information than in advice from television programmes or celebrity endorsements. [FCA]

HM Treasury has launched a £100 million competition to fund British AI start-ups focused on improving public services, with the programme aimed at companies operating or intending to operate in the UK. [HM Treasury]

The Government has announced plans to give the Bank of England a new statutory objective to support innovation in payment systems and emerging forms of digital money, while maintaining the Bank's existing financial stability mandate. [HM Treasury]

Financial experts advise prospective first-time buyers to open a Lifetime ISA now rather than waiting for a planned new first-time buyer ISA account, despite the Government's stated intention to scrap the Lifetime ISA product. [The Guardian]

Christians Against Poverty has published a report concluding that financial inclusion measures in the UK are not adequately reaching the people most in need of access to affordable financial products and services. [Christians Against Poverty]

The Bank of England has released its credit union quarterly statistics for Q1 2026, providing updated data on the financial position and membership of credit unions across the UK. [Bank of England]

HM Treasury has reported that families across the UK collectively saved millions of pounds over the summer through the Government's Great British Summer Savings initiative, though the announcement does not specify the total amount saved or the number of families who participated. [HM Treasury]

Debt & Personal Finance

The co-chairs of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) published a progress update in August 2026, outlining the Review's direction ahead of its final recommendations. [DWP]

Almost half of local councils increased their use of bailiffs in the most recent period, as total council tax arrears reached £7.4bn, according to the Money Advice Trust. [Money Advice Trust]

StepChange described new secondary legislation extending regulation to all bailiff firms as a "strong stepping-stone", while indicating that further measures would be needed to protect people in debt. [StepChange]

Two in five British adults expect their financial position to deteriorate over the coming year, with rising energy bills cited as the primary concern, according to StepChange research. [StepChange]

The DWP announced two schemes in Barnsley to provide residents with practical training in using AI tools for tasks such as job applications and interview preparation. [DWP]

The DWP has published guidance setting out the additional financial support available through Universal Credit for claimants with a disability or health condition. [DWP]

The Insolvency Service published its monthly individual insolvency statistics for July 2026, covering bankruptcies, debt relief orders, and individual voluntary arrangements in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. [Insolvency Service]

Christians Against Poverty published findings on the impact of community-led debt advice, examining how locally delivered services affect people experiencing problem debt. [Christians Against Poverty]

The government announced on 18 August that time restrictions on the Disabled Persons' Freedom Pass will be lifted, giving eligible disabled people in England free bus travel at any hour of the day. [DWP]

The government confirmed that benefit payments due around the August bank holiday will be brought forward to Friday 28 August, ensuring millions of recipients receive funds before the holiday weekend. [DWP]

The DWP published a one-year progress report on its Digital Inclusion Action Plan, setting out steps taken to increase digital access and skills across the population. [DWP]

A DWP qualitative study, drawing on interviews with people aged 53 to 67, examined how individuals understand and make decisions about drawing down their pension savings. [DWP]

The DWP released official statistics to May 2026 on the number of people receiving Support for Mortgage Interest loans, a scheme that helps eligible claimants meet mortgage interest costs. [DWP]

Housing & Rental

Shelter reports that the number of children experiencing homelessness in England has reached its highest level since records began. [Shelter]

Shelter published a response to the Conservative Party's announcement on social homes, setting out its position on the proposals. [Shelter]

MHCLG has announced new funding for the remediation of high-risk buildings under 11 metres, with an eight-week application window opening on 17 August 2026. [National Housing Federation]

The National Housing Federation has been working with MHCLG to arrange webinars helping housing association members prepare for Phase 2 of Awaab's Law, published on 6 August 2026. [National Housing Federation]

Regulatory & Competition

The CMA has secured compensation for hundreds of heating oil customers whose orders were cancelled following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, after a consumer protection enforcement case against suppliers. [CMA]

The CMA has opened investigations into the online pricing practices of Trainline, Virgin Atlantic, and RED Driving School, focusing on drip pricing as part of its broader work on cost of living pressures. [CMA]

The CMA is assessing whether Aldi and Lidl meet the criteria for designation as Large Grocery Retailers under the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010, which would bring them under the same land agreement rules as the UK's largest supermarkets. [CMA]

Citizens Advice has published a response to the government's latest smart meter statistics, setting out its position on the rollout's progress and implications for consumers. [Citizens Advice]

Which? has reported a rise in investment scams using AI-generated deepfake videos — including fabricated footage of Nigel Farage — and fake trading firms to deceive consumers into parting with money. [Which?]

The CMA has published a provisional decision on its strategic review of markets remedies, consulting on proposals to amend, remove, or retain each of the 33 remedies under review. [CMA]

The CMA has designated Google as having strategic market status (SMS) in the provision of its mobile platform, a designation that enables the regulator to set enforceable conduct requirements under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. [CMA]

Citizens Advice has responded to the government's plans to end what it describes as rip-off subscription traps and misleading discounting practices, setting out its views on the proposed measures. [Citizens Advice]

Which? has published guidance on mortgage arrangement fees, noting that top-rate mortgage deals typically carry a fee of around £999 and that consumers should weigh fees against the headline interest rate when comparing products. [Which?]

Which? has published an analysis of bank switching, noting that consumers should consider factors beyond the upfront cash bonus when deciding whether to move to a new provider. [Which?]

Which? has published guidance on equity release as a means of drawing on property wealth in retirement, setting out how the products work and what consumers should consider before proceeding. [Which?]

Energy

Energy UK's Chief Executive Dhara Vyas welcomed the government's decision to cut VAT on electricity bills, describing it as a meaningful step on energy costs. [Energy UK]

Residents in a new-build housing development report being billed for each other's energy following a meter mix-up by British Gas, with one household's tariff rising by 19% once the error was corrected. [The Guardian]

DESNZ has reminded eligible households that they must be named on their energy bill by 23 August to receive the £150 Warm Home Discount automatically this winter. [DESNZ]

Ofgem published its annual report and accounts for 2025–26, covering activities and progress against its objectives for the year to 31 March 2026. [Ofgem]

The Energy Ombudsman published a report examining how a 'warm transfer' model could reduce barriers between debt and energy advice services and the formal complaints and redress process. [Energy Ombudsman]

DESNZ has opened Phase 1 of the Warm Homes Loan Scheme, inviting lenders to apply to participate in a programme designed to unlock private lending for home retrofit at scale. [DESNZ]

Energy UK's Deputy Director of Policy Ned Hammond noted that conflict in Iran and its effects on energy markets had influenced the level of the price cap for the July to September 2026 quarter. [Energy UK]

The government announced that the first wave of schools to receive publicly funded solar installations is projected to save £220 million on energy bills, which schools may reinvest in education. [DESNZ]

DESNZ published an update on the design of a bill discount scheme for households located closest to new or substantially upgraded electricity transmission infrastructure. [DESNZ]

Financial Services & Banking

The UK's Open Banking ecosystem recorded more than one billion payments and 100 billion API calls across the CMA9 banks since the initiative launched, marking two milestones in the system's growth. [Credit-Connect]

The FCA launched a nationwide advertising campaign on 27 July 2026 to inform car finance customers that they can make a complaint and claim potential compensation at no cost, without using a claims management company. [FCA]

HM Treasury opened a consultation on modernising the regulatory framework for payment services, inviting views on how existing rules should be updated to reflect changes in the payments landscape. [HM Treasury]

The BBC reported on the Bank of England's interest rate and its effect on mortgage, loan, and savings rates for consumers across the UK. [BBC News]

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme published its Annual Report and Accounts and Class Statements on 2 July 2026, detailing its compensation and protection activities over the 2025/26 financial year. [HM Treasury]

The Payment Systems Regulator confirmed new transparency requirements on Mastercard and Visa, requiring both networks to disclose card fee information to give businesses greater visibility over the charges they pay. [Credit-Connect]

Buy Now, Pay Later products came under FCA regulation on 15 July 2026, introducing stronger consumer protections for the sector for the first time. [Credit-Connect]

Bank of England data showed UK credit card defaults rose to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis, indicating an increase in the number of borrowers failing to meet repayments. [Credit-Connect]

The FCA suspended elements of its £9.1 billion car finance compensation scheme, delaying payouts to motorists who were owed redress under the programme. [Credit-Connect]

Debt & Personal Finance

Citizens Advice has warned that hundreds of thousands of households on heat networks may face debt enforcement action, including loss of their home, because heating charges can be treated as rent arrears rather than utility debt. [Citizens Advice]

The Timms Review found that the Personal Independence Payment is no longer fit for purpose, concluding that the benefit has failed to keep pace with changes in disability, health and work over the past decade. [DWP]

The Insolvency Service returned £42.7 million to the economy in its latest annual period, according to its annual report, which also records increased enforcement activity and continued investment in service modernisation. [Insolvency Service]

A £900,000 technology investment by the Insolvency Service is expected to reduce processing times for Debt Relief Order applications, with the changes due to benefit thousands of people in financial difficulty. [Credit-Connect]

A review by the Insolvency Service found that recent reforms to Debt Relief Orders have expanded access to debt relief, with more people in financial difficulty now able to use the scheme to resolve their debts. [Insolvency Service]

The Insolvency Service published its monthly individual insolvency statistics for June 2026, covering bankruptcies, Debt Relief Orders and Individual Voluntary Arrangements in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. [Insolvency Service]

Data from Money Wellness shows Buy Now Pay Later debt has reached record levels ahead of incoming regulation, with June recording 4,520 customers seeking help with BNPL obligations — a rise over the preceding four years. [Credit-Connect]

StepChange reports that one in six people find credit card repayments a large burden, and the charity has called for stronger consumer protections in the credit card market. [StepChange]

A Centre for Social Justice report finds that a single mother in the UK is nearly £10,000 a year worse off financially if she marries, a penalty the report argues undermines marriage prospects for low-income couples and that poorer married parents show greater stability than wealthier unmarried ones. [Centre for Social Justice]

The DWP published an effectiveness assessment of its Universal Credit advances machine learning model for the year to 31 March 2026, including analysis of its impact on claimants with protected characteristics. [DWP]

AI & Innovation

HM Treasury's appointed AI Champions for financial services, Harriet Rees and Dr Rohit Dhawan, published an AI adoption plan setting out a framework for increasing the use of artificial intelligence across the UK financial services sector. [HM Treasury]

The FCA called for tighter oversight of AI in financial services, warning that the technology is likely to have a material impact on retail finance over the next decade. [Credit-Connect]

Which? tested leading AI chatbots on financial advice questions and assessed the reliability of their responses, finding variation in accuracy across platforms. [Which?]

The DWP published research providing guidance and case studies to help employers build AI workforce capability, with a focus on inclusive and safe approaches to AI upskilling in the UK. [DWP]

Amazon and Apple disclosed further details of their AI development strategies, with both companies committing billions of dollars to the next phase of AI technology amid ongoing uncertainty over financial returns. [BBC News]

Dun & Bradstreet's AI Momentum Index reports that business adoption of AI is reaching an inflection point, with UK firms beginning to record more tangible returns on their AI investments. [Credit-Connect]

Housing & Rental

The National Housing Federation has called on the government to withdraw proposals that would remove the requirement for medium-sized development sites of 10–49 homes to deliver affordable housing on site, warning that the change would put half of future rural affordable homes at risk. [National Housing Federation]

Property guardians in the UK pay discounted rents — in one case £580 per month — to occupy disused buildings such as former care homes, living communally in exchange for maintaining the property. [BBC News]

UK house prices rose by just 0.1% in July, with the average home valued at £277,542 compared with £277,484 the previous month and below May's level, according to Nationwide, which attributed the slowdown to economic uncertainty and caution among buyers over interest rates. [The Guardian]

Several local councils have announced plans to move tenants out of Britannia Point, a glass-fronted London tower owned by a billionaire landlord, after residents experienced periods without air conditioning during heatwaves. [The Guardian]

The Housing Ombudsman has published a revised Scheme and its response to the Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs) consultation, updating the framework governing tenants' access to information held by landlords. [Housing Ombudsman]

The Housing Ombudsman has released its first report drawing on insights from its duty to monitor landlord compliance with the Complaint Handling Code, setting out lessons identified during the monitoring process. [Housing Ombudsman]

Housing association starts and completions reached a record high in the year to July 2026, according to the National Housing Federation's annual supply survey, with the acceleration occurring within one year of the Spending Review. [National Housing Federation]

The Housing Ombudsman has published a 'learning from severe maladministration' report focusing on roof leaks, identifying early lessons from cases brought under Awaab's Law as an emerging issue in its casework. [Housing Ombudsman]

The Association of British Insurers projects that one in three pensioners will be renting their home by 2044, reflecting a shift in housing tenure among older age groups. [Association of British Insurers]

Regulatory & Competition

The CMA has recommended that UK and devolved governments introduce stronger consumer protections for the 1.5 million households that rely on heating oil, following a market study that identified gaps in the existing regulatory framework. [CMA]

The Payment Systems Regulator published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2025 to 2026, as required under Schedule 4 of the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act, summarising its regulatory activities over the year. [PSR]

The CMA has opened a merger inquiry into E.ON SE's anticipated acquisition of OVO Energy Ltd and is inviting views from interested parties. [CMA]

Citizens Advice warned that energy network companies stand to receive up to £7bn through an inflation loophole in their regulatory settlements, with the charity calling on Ofgem to recover the excess revenue from firms. [Citizens Advice]

The CMA has opened an investigation into Microsoft to determine whether the company misled customers about Microsoft 365 subscription options in ways that led them to pay more than necessary. [CMA]

Ofcom has indicated it is minded to block a new commercial offer from Openreach, finding that the proposal could distort competition in the broadband wholesale market and put upward pressure on long-term consumer prices. [Ofcom]

The Court of Appeal upheld CMA findings that pharmaceutical firms broke competition law by charging excessive and unfair prices for hydrocortisone tablets supplied to the NHS over a period of approximately a decade. [CMA]

The CMA investigated Marks Electrical over suspected consumer law infringements relating to the addition of optional charges at the point of purchase, resulting in an enforcement case against the online electrical retailer. [CMA]

Which? identified five text message scams currently circulating, including fake parking fine notifications and a renewed version of the 'Hi Mum and Dad' impersonation scam. [Which?]

Water

Thames Water's chief executive Chris Weston has said that some of the company's leakage targets are not achievable, while acknowledging that it wanted to improve its performance. [BBC News]

Complaints escalated to the Consumer Council for Water by business customers rose by 30% in the latest year, according to CCW's annual Business Customer Complaints report. [Credit-Connect]

Energy

Households in England and Wales that rely on heating oil will become eligible for a £9,000 grant toward a heat pump under an expansion of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, intended to reduce energy bills for those off the gas grid. [DESNZ]

The UK Competition Network, comprising the CMA and sector regulators including Ofgem, publishes guidance on how competition law is applied across regulated sectors including retail energy. [Ofgem]

Ofgem's latest energy price cap, which took effect recently, has resulted in household energy prices rising by 13% year on year, prompting calls for consumers to submit meter readings. [BBC News]

The government announced measures to strengthen consumer protections in the home energy upgrade market, including steps to hold the retrofit industry to account for substandard installations. [DESNZ]

Several retailers have joined a government initiative to make plug-in solar panels more widely available in UK homes, with the aim of reducing household energy bills without the need for professional installation. [DESNZ]

Energy UK estimates that around 250,000 low-income households could save up to £620 on annual energy bills if part of the existing Warm Homes Plan funding were directed towards solar panel installations. [Energy UK]

DESNZ has set out proposals to expand the use of community batteries, through which households and businesses could access cheaper energy by sharing locally stored electricity. [DESNZ]

Which? has published consumer guidance identifying common practices that its energy researchers say lead to higher bills and poor service, based on the organisation's own research. [Which?]

DESNZ has launched a consultation on reforming the consumer protection framework for home upgrade schemes, seeking views on how the system should be restructured to support delivery of the Warm Homes Plan. [DESNZ]

Financial Services & Banking

The FCA is consulting on elements of the Consumer Duty to provide greater clarity for wholesale firms. [FCA]

HM Treasury has opened a consultation on a new First Time Buyer ISA, designed as a simpler savings product to help prospective homeowners accumulate a deposit. [HM Treasury]

The independent Access to Banking Review has entered an intensive evidence-gathering phase, inviting submissions from businesses, organisations, and members of the public on how banking services are accessed across the UK. [HM Treasury]

The Money and Pensions Service will receive £4 million in government funding to strengthen debt advice services for small businesses facing financial difficulty. [HM Treasury]

The government has established a taskforce to encourage young people to claim an estimated £1.6 billion held in unclaimed Child Trust Fund accounts. [HM Treasury]

A government counter-fraud squad has launched investigations targeting individuals and entities that fraudulently obtained Covid-era loans from public funds. [HM Treasury]

Debt & Personal Finance

StepChange Debt Charity has called for action on social tariffs, citing a rise in the number of clients in arrears on energy and water bills; the charity reports that energy arrears among its clients increased by 32% and water arrears by 22% in the past year. [StepChange]

Martin Lewis has described how his name and likeness are routinely used in fraudulent online investment promotions, and has stated that government intervention to prevent such scams would be straightforward to implement. [The Guardian]

The Department for Work and Pensions announced on 9 June 2026 that all face-to-face and telephone health assessments for disability and sickness benefits will be audio recorded as standard, a measure the government described as a transparency improvement. [DWP]

Criminals are operating fake websites that offer to recover lost cryptocurrency access codes, using the process to harvest victims' personal data and funds. [The Guardian]

The Centre for Social Justice reports that record numbers of households are borrowing from illegal lenders as pressures on household finances persist, pointing to a growing illegal lending crisis in Britain. [Centre for Social Justice]

The Insolvency Service's latest 'Confidence in the Regime' report, drawing on views from insolvency practitioners, creditors, debtors and academics, found that the service is making meaningful improvements to the insolvency system. [Insolvency Service]

StepChange reports that council tax debt among its clients has reached a record level, adding to a pattern of rising household debt across multiple categories. [StepChange]

New DWP powers came into force allowing driving bans to be imposed on people who have stopped receiving benefits but refuse to repay outstanding debts owed to the department, extending enforcement options beyond those receiving ongoing payments. [DWP]

The government published its response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's investigation into communications about the rise in women's State Pension age, addressing findings related to how affected women were informed of changes to their retirement age. [DWP]

The DWP published research based on a large-scale survey and qualitative interviews with people who owe overpaid benefits to the department, examining the composition of that debt population and their perceptions of the repayment process. [DWP]

The Insolvency Service published the first large-scale analysis of Members' Voluntary Liquidation outcomes in England and Wales, finding that MVLs are operating effectively. [Insolvency Service]

Two men were sentenced following an insolvency fraud and money laundering conspiracy totalling £3 million, with one disqualified director having used proceeds to fund a lifestyle including a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce. [Insolvency Service]

Financier Lex Greensill is to be disqualified from acting as a company director in the UK for nine years, with the ban running until June 2035. [Insolvency Service]

AI & Innovation

An AI Adoption Insights agreement was reached at the AI Adoption Summit on 8 June 2026, setting out commitments related to tracking and sharing data on artificial intelligence adoption. [HM Treasury]

The CMA has introduced two new conduct requirements on Google to ensure that its search rankings — including AI Overviews — are fair, and that users can benefit from sharing their data with third-party services. [CMA]

Consumers are losing money to fraudulent online retailers after AI tools including ChatGPT recommend cloned shopping sites that mimic legitimate brands. The Guardian reports that scammers are creating counterfeit storefronts designed to appear in AI-generated recommendations, with buyers receiving no goods or having payment details stolen. [The Guardian]

techUK launched an AI Adoption Coalition and an AI Assurance Consortium in June, as part of a busy period of industry-level coordination on AI governance and deployment. [techUK]

Ofcom has published its strategic approach to artificial intelligence, setting out how it intends to apply its regulatory responsibilities to AI over the coming year. The document provides an update on Ofcom's work across the sectors it oversees where AI use is growing. [Ofcom]

The Resolution Foundation hosted the launch of Sarah O'Connor's book 'We Are Not Machines', which draws on her Financial Times column and AI newsletter to examine the relationship between workers and automated systems. The event forms part of the Foundation's broader programme of work on labour market change and technology. [Resolution Foundation]

Housing & Rental

Shelter research found that 40% of workers reported losing sleep due to concerns about housing costs, pointing to the financial pressure tenants and homeowners face across the workforce. [Shelter]

The Housing Ombudsman has published findings from two wider orders against separate landlords relating to pest infestations, describing the cases as a 'significant learning opportunity' for the social housing sector. [Housing Ombudsman]

Shelter calculated that at the current rate of social home construction, it would take 119 years to clear existing housing waiting lists in England. [Shelter]

Regulatory & Competition

The CMA has ordered StubHub UK to refund more than 50,000 customers and pay a fine of close to £900,000 following an investigation into the presentation of mandatory fees that were not shown upfront in ticket prices. [CMA]

Citizens Advice has found that almost half of private renters have encountered letting agents breaching the rules, pointing to persistent non-compliance in the private rental sector. [Citizens Advice]

The CMA has opened an investigation into Ryanair over fees charged to parents who wish to sit with their children on flights, including children with disabilities. [CMA]

The Housing Ombudsman has published an Insight report drawing on root cause analysis from its further investigation reports, identifying common themes intended to inform landlords' and providers' responses to emerging issues. [Housing Ombudsman]

The CMA has published guidance explaining how consumers can claim refunds or compensation when the authority orders a business to make payments to affected customers. [CMA]

The CMA has designated Google as holding strategic market status (SMS) in the provision of general search and search advertising services in the UK, a classification that brings it within the scope of the digital markets regime. [CMA]

The CMA is inviting public comments on proposed conduct requirements that would apply to Google's general search services following its designation of Google as holding strategic market status. [CMA]

The CMA has designated Apple as holding strategic market status (SMS) in the provision of its mobile platform, subjecting it to potential conduct requirements under the digital markets regime. [CMA]

The CMA is investigating suspected consumer law infringements by viagogo Entertainment Inc. relating to how mandatory fees are presented to consumers during the ticket-purchasing process. [CMA]

The CMA has imposed a conduct requirement on Google relating to its general search services, aimed at ensuring that search rankings are fair and transparent. [CMA]

Energy

The UK government announced upgrades to heat networks intended to reduce energy bills for families, hospitals, and charities through improvements in energy efficiency. [DESNZ]

Ofgem has been appointed as administrator for the bill discount scheme, replacing the previous arrangements. [DESNZ]

DESNZ published official statistics in development on sub-regional fuel poverty, using 2024 data, as part of the 2026 sub-regional fuel poverty report series. [DESNZ]

DESNZ published guidance setting out the exemptions available under the Private Rented Sector minimum energy efficiency standard, along with the evidence requirements landlords must meet to qualify. [DESNZ]

Power NI and Firmus Energy announced price increases for their customers in Northern Ireland, attributing the rises to higher global energy and gas prices. [BBC News]

Household energy bills in Great Britain are set to rise by 13% from July 2026, with wholesale cost increases linked to the US-Israel conflict with Iran feeding through to consumer prices for the first time. [BBC News]

Ofgem announced a 13% increase in the energy price cap for the period 1 July to 30 September 2026, applying to customers on default tariffs. [Credit-Connect]

Cornwall Insight's final forecast for the July–September 2026 Default Tariff Cap projected that bills for a typical dual-fuel household would rise by £209 to £1,850 a year. [Credit-Connect]

Ofgem closed its investigation into British Gas over the force-fitting of prepayment meters without customer consent, with the company set to pay a settlement to affected consumers. [Credit-Connect]

Energy UK's Deputy Director of Policy, Ned Hammond, noted that the July–September price cap announcement confirmed an anticipated rise in customer bills following Ofgem's decision. [Energy UK]

Christians Against Poverty published an explainer for its clients on the 2026 energy price cap changes and their implications for household energy costs. [Christians Against Poverty]

Which? published consumer guidance advising households to review their tariff and take steps to reduce gas and electricity bills ahead of the July 2026 price cap rise. [Which?]

Ofgem published a cyber security strategy setting out a roadmap for government, regulators, and industry to strengthen cyber resilience across the Great British energy sector in support of the Clean Power 2030 target. [Ofgem]

DESNZ reported that solar panel adoption among UK households continued to rise as the government advanced its clean power programme. [DESNZ]

Financial Services & Banking

The FCA has warned young drivers that fraudsters are selling fake motor insurance through social media platforms, leaving buyers unknowingly uninsured and at risk of prosecution. [FCA]

The government introduced a Financial Services Bill to Parliament, designed to unlock investment, reduce regulatory burdens, and strengthen consumer protections across financial markets. [HM Treasury]

The Chancellor announced plans to grant consumer watchdogs new investigatory powers to tackle profiteering by firms in markets where prices are judged to be unjustifiably high. [HM Treasury]

HM Treasury commissioned an independent review to assess how reductions in in-person banking services are affecting consumers' access to banking, with findings expected to inform future policy. [HM Treasury]

Fraudsters are exploiting uncertainty over new inheritance tax rules on pensions, contacting savers and offering to move pension funds into purportedly tax-efficient schemes that are, in practice, scams. [The Guardian]

Consumers who subscribed to the Claude AI chatbot have reported unexplained additional charges appearing on their credit card statements, with one family's experience pointing to wider billing irregularities. [The Guardian]

The government confirmed plans to modernise the Consumer Credit Act for the first time in over 50 years, aiming to update disclosure requirements and give lenders more flexibility to develop new products. [Credit-Connect]

Mortgage repayments in the UK reached 21.3% of gross income, their highest level in nearly 20 years, according to UK Finance, with 723,000 households completing house purchases in the period covered by the data. [Credit-Connect]

An FCA review of firms authorised to approve financial promotions found that some are not meeting required standards, and the regulator has indicated that further action may follow where shortcomings persist. [FCA]

The FCA published a review examining whether the claims management market is functioning effectively for consumers, assessing firm conduct, pricing practices, and outcomes for claimants. [FCA]

The government announced reforms to the bank ring-fencing regime intended to free up capital and enable banks to extend billions of pounds in additional financing to British businesses. [HM Treasury]

HM Treasury published its conclusions from the Ring-Fencing Review, setting out proposals to reform the regime that has required large retail banks to separate core consumer banking from investment banking activities since 2019. [HM Treasury]

Water

Public trust in water companies in England has reached a new low, according to a recent report, with customer concerns centred on the fairness and affordability of bills. [Credit-Connect]

Debt & Personal Finance

The Insolvency Service published its monthly individual insolvency statistics for April 2026, covering bankruptcies, debt relief orders, and individual voluntary arrangements in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. [Insolvency Service]

Citizens Advice reports that 4.6 million people are worried about affording energy bills, with rising costs affecting households that have not recovered financially from the previous energy price crisis. [Citizens Advice]

Research from Which? found that three million households are skipping meals and cutting back on family visits, with its Consumer Insight Tracker also recording a fall in confidence in the economy. [Credit-Connect]

Barclays has announced an additional investment of almost £4 million in debt charity StepChange, building on an existing long-term partnership and a history of regular financial contributions. [Credit-Connect]

StepChange has warned that a rise in the energy price cap of over £200 is likely to deepen existing energy debt among households, with the charity projecting an increase in the number of clients presenting with energy arrears. [StepChange]

The Pensions Commission published its interim report on 19 May, finding that Britain is undersaving for retirement and setting out the principal challenges facing the current system ahead of further work on potential reforms. [DWP]

The Department for Work and Pensions has appointed Joanne Segars OBE as the new Chair of the Pension Protection Fund, with her tenure beginning on 1 July 2026. [DWP]

DWP has issued a call for evidence on behalf of the Timms Review steering group, seeking feedback on the Personal Independence Payment system in line with the review's published terms of reference. [DWP]

DWP has published a draft Code of Practice covering the direct deduction and disqualification from driving order powers introduced under the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025. [DWP]

DWP published its latest estimates of fraud and error levels in the Great Britain benefit system, presenting figures on the scale and composition of overpayments and underpayments. [DWP]

DWP has published guidance for claimants who received a lower level of benefit following migration to Universal Credit because of an incorrect decision to end a legacy benefit, explaining how to apply for a one-off payment under the Successful Legacy Appeals Compensation Scheme. [DWP]

DWP has updated its guidance on Universal Credit for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness, including information for the organisations that support them. [DWP]

DWP has published guidance explaining how Universal Credit operates for self-employed claimants, including requirements to report income and expenses on a monthly basis. [DWP]

The Insolvency Service has published guidance for directors on personal guarantees, explaining how such arrangements work and their implications for individuals who sign them. [Insolvency Service]

AI & Innovation

More than half of UK businesses plan to increase investment in AI over the next year, according to a Barclays survey of 900,000 firms. The report also found that 68% of companies intend to invest in cybersecurity, with geopolitical tensions cited as a factor driving both trends. [Credit-Connect]

Housing & Rental

ONS data show that renters are experiencing a higher rate of household cost inflation than mortgagors or outright owner-occupiers, whose inflation rates remain lower by comparison. [Credit-Connect]

Shelter estimates that the Renters' Rights Act, once in force, will protect around 2,000 households per month from homelessness caused by no-fault evictions. [Shelter]

The National Housing Federation has summarised the housing-related announcements from the King's Speech of 14 May 2026, setting out their implications for housing associations and social housing providers. [National Housing Federation]

The National Housing Federation responded to the King's Speech on 13 May 2026, welcoming the Social Housing Renewal Bill as a demonstration of the government's stated commitment to protecting the supply of social housing for future generations. [National Housing Federation]

An L&G survey of 2,000 UK homeowners found that moving house (48%) and buying a home ranked as more stressful life events than divorce or a relationship breakdown. [Credit-Connect]

Equity Release Council data show that total equity release lending fell to £574 million in Q1 2026, down 9% on the previous quarter (£632 million) and 14% year-on-year (£655 million). [Credit-Connect]

Shelter published a response to the King's Speech, addressing the government's housing-related legislative announcements; specific details of the charity's position were not included in the source text provided. [Shelter]

Regulatory & Competition

The CMA's May 2026 enhanced road fuel monitoring update assesses the effect of the Middle East conflict on UK road fuel prices, spreads, and margins. [CMA]

The CMA published guidance for trader recommendation platforms on how to comply with consumer law and protect consumers from misleading or deceptive practices. [CMA]

The CMA is investigating whether to designate Microsoft as having strategic market status in relation to its business software ecosystem. [CMA]

HMRC has launched an AI chatbot covering topics including tax, childcare, and apprenticeships, with Which? examining how and whether consumers should use it. [Which?]

Which? reports that around a third of people face pension poverty in retirement and notes that the government is considering changes to workplace pension rules. [Which?]

HMRC has acknowledged an error in how some state pension income is calculated on self-assessment tax returns, which may have led to incorrect tax payments for affected individuals. [Which?]