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Waracle, the Scottish technology services company, has announced a significant new partnership with SP Energy Networks, a deal set to accelerate the digital transformation of the electricity network operator over the next three years.
The multi-million-pound contract will see Waracle design and develop a streamlined digital customer experience, addressing the growing demand for network connections to support electric vehicle (EV) chargers, solar panels, and heat pumps.
SP Energy Networks, part of the ScottishPower group, is responsible for maintaining the electricity network across central and southern Scotland, as well as Merseyside and North Wales, serving over 3.5 million homes and businesses throughout the UK. This partnership with Waracle aims to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of its services by implementing a user-friendly, automated self-serve platform for customers.
Dundee-based Waracle has a longstanding relationship with ScottishPower and its parent company, Iberdrola, dating back to 2016. The firm has previously developed digital products like the YourEnergy app, which enables millions of customers to monitor their energy consumption and manage meter readings.
This new collaboration with SP Energy Networks will also support more than a dozen jobs across Glasgow, Dundee, and Edinburgh, solidifying Waracle’s position as a leader in mobile and digital product development within the utilities sector. The deal follows a series of recent successes for Waracle, including significant growth in its London office, which is expanding its footprint in the energy, financial services, and health sectors.
David Romilly, co-founder of Waracle, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “We’re excited to bring Waracle’s expertise in customer experience, digital product development, and emerging technologies to one of the UK’s largest electricity network providers. The leadership and ambition shown by the SP Energy Networks Business Transformation Team have been truly impressive, and we’re honoured to have been chosen after a rigorous tender process.”
Lynda Ward, Business Transformation Director at SP Energy Networks, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the importance of the partnership for the company’s digitalisation goals: “We’re delighted to be working with Waracle to advance our digitalisation agenda. Waracle has consistently demonstrated its value over several years of collaboration with the ScottishPower group, and I’m excited about the potential of this new partnership as we introduce innovative digital solutions across our systems and processes.”
Ward further emphasised SP Energy Networks’ commitment to enhancing customer services through digital innovation, which aligns with the broader goal of transitioning to a net-zero future.
This deal comes just a month after Waracle’s acquisition of Glasgow-based design and software engineering agency, Screenmedia, further expanding its capabilities. With offices in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dundee, Waracle now boasts a team of over 200 employees. The company is backed by growth capital investor BGF and serves an impressive roster of clients, including Lloyds Banking Group, Royal London, Roche, and Imperial College London.
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Waracle secures three-year digital transformation partnership with SP Energy Networks

Unite, the UK’s second-largest trade union, is set to challenge the new Labour government by calling for an emergency 1% wealth tax on the assets of the super-rich.
The proposal aims to fund substantial 10% pay increases for public sector workers and to fill over 100,000 vacant NHS positions. This demand, outlined in a motion for the Trades Union Congress (TUC) conference next month in Brighton, is expected to highlight growing tensions between Keir Starmer’s administration and the union movement.
As Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares for her first budget on 30 October, Labour MPs and ministers are bracing for potential friction at the TUC conference. This event could signal the end of an unofficial truce that has existed between many unions and Labour, which has been instrumental in supporting Starmer’s successful general election campaign. However, with Labour’s leadership emphasising fiscal responsibility, pressure is mounting from within the party to address urgent social and economic needs.
Unite’s motion is particularly bold, suggesting that a 1% tax be levied on the assets of individuals with fortunes exceeding £4 million. The union estimates this would generate £25 billion annually, which could be used to bolster public services and prevent a return to austerity measures. Under the proposal, someone with £6 million in assets would be taxed on the £2 million above the threshold, with the tax applying to properties, shares, and bank accounts, though mortgaged properties would be exempt.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, did not mince words in her critique of the current state of the UK economy: “Unite’s resolution to the TUC on the economy calls things by their real name. The British economy is broken. We need serious investment in our crippled public services and in industry to ensure a prosperous future for Britain’s workers and their communities.”
Unite’s stance is shared by other key unions. The RMT transport union has also called for a wealth tax to fund public investment, while Usdaw, the shop workers’ union, seeks the abolition of the two-child benefit cap. The PCS civil service union has added its voice to the debate, urging opposition to cuts in the winter fuel allowance and advocating for more stringent taxation of corporations and the wealthy.
These motions are expected to amplify the strain between Labour and its union backers, particularly after recent pay agreements between the government and striking workers across various sectors, including healthcare and transportation. As the TUC conference approaches, the pressure on Labour to balance fiscal prudence with the demands of its traditional supporters is set to intensify.
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Unite urges 1% wealth tax on the super-rich to fund public sector pay rises and NHS recruitment

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has clawed back nearly £70 million in unpaid taxes from footballers, agents, and clubs over the past year as part of a rigorous crackdown on tax avoidance schemes in the sport.
This initiative has seen investigations launched into 20 football clubs, 83 players, and 21 agents since April 2023.
The focus of HMRC’s efforts has been on the misuse of “dual-representation contracts” and other tax avoidance strategies prevalent in football. Dual-representation contracts allow agents to claim they represent both the player and the club during a transfer, resulting in tax advantages that HMRC now challenges. The tax authority has tightened guidelines, demanding that clubs provide evidence if they claim an agent worked for them during a transfer. Failure to provide such evidence could see the entire agent’s fee treated as income for the player, subject to income tax and national insurance.
This crackdown has already implicated well-known figures in football, including former England internationals John Barnes and Emile Heskey. Barnes was recently banned as a company director for failing to pay over £190,000 in taxes, while Heskey faced legal action over an unpaid £1.6 million tax bill related to a film investment scheme.
HMRC has been particularly vigilant about the “over-aggressive” use of image rights, where players form limited companies to handle payments for their image rights, often resulting in lower tax rates. However, the tax authority frequently investigates cases where it believes the value of the player’s image rights is inflated or unfounded.
Elliott Buss, a partner at UHY Hacker Young, warned that the football industry remains a prime target for HMRC, particularly when it comes to correctly reporting agent fees and educating young players about their tax responsibilities. He noted that younger players, often earning substantial salaries, may be unaware of their obligation to file tax returns, making them vulnerable to fines and investigations.
Over the past five years, HMRC has recovered £384 million in unpaid taxes from the football industry, with £67.5 million recouped in 2023 alone. The crackdown is part of a broader effort to ensure compliance and deter tax evasion within the sport, following high-profile cases of tax fraud involving international stars such as Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano in Spain.
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HMRC recovers £70m in tax crackdown on footballers and agents

Mike Ashley has appointed his youngest daughter, Matilda Ashley, as a director of Mash Holdings, the company through which he controls his substantial stakes in Frasers Group and other ventures.
This move underscores the growing influence of family ties in the billionaire’s business operations.
According to recent filings with Companies House, 27-year-old Matilda Ashley has taken on this significant role within Mash Holdings, which plays a central part in overseeing Ashley’s extensive retail and property interests. The appointment follows her recent resignation as director of her beauty business, Double Take, which Frasers Group reportedly acquired for £1 last year without informing its shareholders.
Double Take, launched by Matilda in 2015, owns SportFX, a cosmetics brand available in Sports Direct stores. The business weathered the pandemic with financial support from Mash Holdings, which is believed to own the rights to SportFX’s clothing, footwear, and sports equipment lines. Mike Ashley had previously committed to backing the brand financially for the “foreseeable future.”
This latest family appointment may attract attention in the City, where concerns over corporate governance and nepotism have surfaced. The Sunday Times recently highlighted that Matilda’s boyfriend, David Al-Mudallal, serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Frasers Group and was appointed to its board, making him one of the youngest directors in a FTSE 100 company. Michael Murray, who became CEO of Frasers in 2022 and is married to Anna Ashley, the elder daughter of Mike Ashley, also holds a prominent position within the group.
The intertwining of family and business interests in Ashley’s empire has drawn scrutiny in the past. In 2016, Sports Direct faced criticism from shareholders after it was revealed that a company owned by Ashley’s brother was paid to handle international deliveries, a relationship that was not initially disclosed in the annual report.
Frasers Group, which started as a single shop in Maidenhead, Berkshire, in 1982, has grown into a retail giant with over 1,500 stores across 20 countries. The group includes well-known high street names such as House of Fraser, Sports Direct, Flannels, Evans Cycles, and Jack Wills. Although Mike Ashley stepped down from the board in 2022, he retains a 73% ownership stake and holds a powerful consultancy role within the company.
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Mike Ashley appoints youngest daughter as director to expanding family empire

British Steel is set to close its blast furnaces in Scunthorpe by the end of the year, placing 2,500 jobs in jeopardy. The move comes as the Chinese-owned company seeks to accelerate its transition to greener steel production, despite having received £600 million in taxpayer support.
The company is in talks with the UK government to cut coking coal imports, originally planned to continue for another two years, as part of its £1.3 billion decarbonisation strategy. This could lead to the replacement of the three million tonnes of steel produced in Scunthorpe with imports from China, potentially signalling the end of large-scale UK steel production.
British Steel, purchased by China’s Jingye Group in 2020, has been struggling financially, reportedly losing £1 million per day. While the company had initially planned to keep the blast furnaces operational during the construction of a new electric-arc furnace in Teesside—an initiative that would have preserved jobs—the revised plan now threatens significant job losses.
Union leaders expressed their outrage, with Charlotte Brumpton-Childs of GMB stating that the early closure of the Scunthorpe furnaces would be devastating for both the local community and the workforce. Unions claim they were not consulted about the latest developments and are demanding immediate engagement with British Steel and the government to safeguard jobs.
The closure comes amid broader concerns about the strategic implications of losing domestic steel production, which plays a crucial role in the UK’s construction, rail, and energy sectors. British Steel’s output is vital for projects ranging from nuclear reactors to wind turbines, raising concerns about the UK’s reliance on foreign steel.
Labour’s recent talks with Jingye over a potential rescue deal have added a political dimension to the issue. Critics, including Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow business secretary, have accused Labour of betraying the UK steel industry by supporting the shift towards imported steel, despite promises to invest in domestic production.
The government’s decision on British Steel’s decarbonisation plans and the future of its Scunthorpe operations is still pending, leaving thousands of jobs and the future of UK steelmaking hanging in the balance.
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British steel to cut 2,500 jobs despite £600m taxpayer-funded green initiative

Gatwick Airport has reported a significant uptick in passenger numbers, with 19.9 million travellers passing through its terminals in the first half of 2024, marking a 7.7% increase compared to the same period last year.
The UK’s second-largest airport attributes this growth to a strong recovery in short-haul travel, even as long-haul passenger numbers continue to lag behind pre-pandemic levels.
Revenues at Gatwick rose by 15.3% to £488 million in the first six months of 2024, while pre-tax profits surged by 36% to £136.3 million. Despite these gains, overall passenger numbers remain 10% below the levels seen in the first half of 2019, with long-haul travel particularly affected—down by 30% from pre-pandemic figures.
Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s Chief Executive, noted that some long-haul flight slots have been temporarily reallocated to short-haul carriers but expressed optimism that these will revert to long-haul use as the airport continues to expand its network, especially with airlines from India, China, and other parts of Asia.
Gatwick’s short-haul network remains robust, with 16.9 million passengers in the first half of 2024—just 5.6% shy of pre-pandemic numbers. Wingate anticipates that short-haul passenger volumes in the latter half of the year will surpass those of 2019.
The airport is also awaiting government approval to bring its emergency northern runway into regular use, a key part of its £2.2 billion expansion plan. If approved, this would allow Gatwick to handle up to 75 million passengers annually by the late 2030s, a significant increase from the 40.9 million passengers recorded last year.
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Gatwick sees 7.7% passenger increase as short-haul demand surges

British holidaymakers planning trips to Europe will soon need to budget for a €7 visa waiver as the EU prepares to introduce its European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) by the middle of next year.
The EU has confirmed that the scheme, which applies to over 60 non-EU countries including the UK, is scheduled to begin “in the first half of 2025.”
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, speaking at the announcement of the related Entry/Exit System (EES), indicated that the visa waiver could be operational in time for the May half-term holiday in 2025. The EES, which will require non-EU travellers to register their fingerprints and a photo in lieu of traditional passport stamps, is set to go live on 10 November this year.
The ETIAS system will function similarly to the US ESTA, necessitating an online application before travel. Once approved, the waiver will be valid for three years or until the traveller’s passport expires, whichever comes first. This will cover travel to the Schengen Area, encompassing most EU states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
The Home Office has stated that further details on the ETIAS rollout are expected from the EU “in due course.”
This update coincides with the much-anticipated launch of the EES, which has faced multiple delays. Commissioner Johansson emphasised that the EES would bring stringent digital border controls to “every single airport,” “harbour,” and “road into Europe,” enhancing security across the continent.
Last year, over 700 million tourists visited Europe, and the new systems are intended to bolster security by ensuring stricter monitoring of entries and exits. “We will know if people stay too long,” Johansson said, adding that the systems will make it more difficult for individuals using fake passports, including criminals and spies, to enter the EU.
Understanding the EES and ETIAS
The EES will require travellers entering the EU to submit fingerprints, a photograph, and passport details during an initial registration process. This registration is valid for three years and will replace the need for passport stamps, although it is expected to add at least two minutes to the current border processing time per passenger, potentially leading to longer queues.
The ETIAS, on the other hand, will apply to citizens from countries that currently do not require a visa to enter the Schengen Area. While the €7 fee is modest compared to the $14 charged for the US ESTA, the requirement reflects the EU’s efforts to enhance border security amid ongoing concerns over migration and terrorism.
The application process is designed to be quick, with most approvals granted automatically within minutes. However, more complex cases could take up to 72 hours, and in exceptional situations, up to four weeks. The fee applies to travellers aged 18 to 70, with exemptions for children and seniors over 70.
British travellers will need to complete the ETIAS application online or via a mobile app, providing passport information and answering questions related to criminal records and medical history. While the procedural step is small, it marks a significant change for UK citizens accustomed to visa-free travel within Europe.
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British holidaymakers to face €7 EU visa waiver by next summer

With traditional banks tightening their lending criteria, a growing number of UK entrepreneurs are turning to pawnbrokers to secure vital funding.
H&T, Britain’s largest pawnbroker, has reported a surge in small business owners, including shopkeepers and builders, pledging personal jewellery and watches to obtain loans.
Chris Gillespie, CEO of H&T, which operates 282 stores across the UK, highlighted that many small business owners are finding it increasingly difficult to secure loans from traditional banks. This has driven them to seek alternative financing options, with pawnbroking emerging as a popular choice. “We’ve seen a noticeable increase in shopkeepers and builders using our services due to the lack of funding from other sources,” Gillespie said.
These loans are often used to cover essential business expenses such as purchasing stock, buying materials, or even paying VAT bills and wages. Gillespie noted that a significant portion of H&T’s customers come from ethnic minorities, particularly the Asian community and Eastern Europeans, who are more familiar with pawnbroking as a mainstream financial practice.
The average item pledged to H&T is valued at around £200, with loans typically being less than that amount. However, there has been a noticeable increase in larger loans, with approximately 18% of H&T’s loan book now consisting of loans of £5,000 or more. Entrepreneurs are increasingly pledging high-value items such as Rolex watches and expensive jewellery to secure these larger sums.
“The banks are more reluctant to lend than they used to be,” Gillespie explained. “They won’t lend you money against your watch and often require personal guarantees or charges on your house. Overdrafts are also harder to come by these days.”
This shift follows years of tighter lending criteria from banks, which have moved away from riskier, unsecured lending in favour of more straightforward business loans. When unsecured loans are available, they often come with stringent conditions that make business owners personally liable for their debts.
The reduction in alternative lending options has also contributed to the rise in pawnbroking. Regulatory crackdowns by the Financial Conduct Authority have led to the closure of several doorstep lenders and controversial payday lenders, pushing more customers towards pawnbrokers like H&T.
H&T’s pledge book rose to £105 million for the six months ending in June, up from £101 million in December. The company’s income increased by 11% year-on-year to £55.8 million, with pre-tax profits up by 12.5% to £9.9 million. Jewellery and watch sales also saw a significant boost, rising by 27% to £29.3 million compared to the same period last year.
Founded 125 years ago, H&T continues to adapt to changing market demands. In response to growing weekend shopping habits, the company is piloting Sunday trading hours in 10% of its stores to meet increased demand.
As traditional financial avenues become more restrictive, pawnbroking is emerging as a lifeline for entrepreneurs in need of quick, accessible funding, allowing them to maintain and grow their businesses in a challenging economic environment.
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Entrepreneurs turn to pawnbrokers as banks tighten business lending

OpenAI, the firm behind the widely known AI chatbot ChatGPT, has announced a significant partnership with global magazine giant Condé Nast.
This multi-year agreement will see content from iconic publications like Vogue, The New Yorker, and GQ featured within OpenAI’s platforms, including its newly launched AI-powered search engine, SearchGPT.
The deal marks the latest in a series of collaborations between OpenAI and major media companies, reflecting the growing demand for high-quality content to train and enhance AI models. While some media organisations, such as The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, have resisted these developments, even taking legal action to protect their content, Condé Nast has chosen a collaborative approach.
Though financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed, the partnership is poised to offer benefits to both parties. Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s chief operating officer, emphasised the importance of maintaining accuracy, integrity, and respect for quality journalism as AI becomes more integral to news discovery and delivery. “We’re committed to working with Condé Nast and other news publishers to ensure that AI supports rather than undermines the values of quality reporting,” Lightcap said.
For Condé Nast, this partnership offers a way to mitigate the financial pressures facing traditional media in the digital age. Roger Lynch, the company’s chief executive officer, noted that the deal with OpenAI will help offset revenue challenges brought about by the rise of social media and digital platforms. “Our partnership with OpenAI begins to make up for some of that revenue, allowing us to continue to protect and invest in our journalism and creative endeavours,” Lynch stated.
The collaboration comes on the heels of OpenAI’s launch of SearchGPT, an AI-powered search engine currently in its prototype stage. OpenAI has been gathering feedback from its partners in the news industry to refine the platform, which is expected to play a key role in the future of internet search.
The rise of AI-driven search technology is being closely watched by industry analysts, who see it as a transformative force in how information is accessed online. Google, the dominant player in the search market, has also been rapidly integrating AI tools into its products to maintain its leading position.
However, the shift towards AI-generated responses in search engines has raised concerns among news media firms, which rely heavily on search traffic for both audiences and revenue. The BBC, for instance, has taken steps to prevent its content from being used by AI firms without permission, while also exploring how generative AI could enhance value for its audiences.
As the digital media landscape continues to evolve, partnerships like the one between OpenAI and Condé Nast are likely to become increasingly common, offering new opportunities and challenges for both the technology and media industries.
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OpenAI and Condé Nast partner to feature content from Vogue, The New Yorker, and GQ in AI-powered search