England's chief medical officer and the government's top scientific adviser warn that Covid cases are ‘doubling every seven days’ in Downing Street Coronavirus briefing

With six weeks to go until the coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) finishes, while HMRC figures show a steady decline in the number of workers on furlough, pressure is growing for the government to extend the support beyond the end of October

The government has announced a legal requirement on people to self-isolate when instructed by NHS Test and Trace, with fines for those who fail to do so and for any businesses which threaten self-isolating staff with redundancy

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has updated its Covid-19 guidance, and from the start of next year defined contribution (DC) schemes and providers will need to report late contribution payments no later than 90 days after the due date, removing the exemption available earlier in the pandemic

Companies House will be given greater powers to query, investigate and remove false information in the registration of company directors, in efforts to reduce the potential £137bn lost globally to financial crime, according to Transparency International UK

The Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF), an industry-led partnership to standardise carbon accounting for the financial sector, has launched a UK coalition to further promote measurement and disclosure of carbon emissions in the finance sector

In this week’s accountancy career moves, partners appointed at RSM and McGuireWoods, president named at the Personal Finance Society, and CFO appointments at Paysafe Group, Energy Assets Group

The National Audit Office (NAO) is calling on the Treasury to launch a coordinated effort to safeguard access to cash, as Covid-19 has accelerated the move to online transactions, and there is a risk that vulnerable people who rely on paying money will be excluded

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is considering its approach to overseas-based cannabis companies interested in listing in the UK

PwC has committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its global network within the next ten years, and will be taking action to support its suppliers and clients in tackling their impact on the climate 

During the pandemic, firms were forced to work remotely, but how do you run a people business without human contact? Smith & Williamson’s Giles Murphy predicts the death of the office could be exaggerated

Ex-PwC partner Pauline Wallace has been named as the first chair of the new UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board (UKEB), the body tasked with endorsing and adopting international accounting standards once the UK leaves the EU