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UK Edition
13th March 2026
 
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THE HOT STORY

Hundreds of GPs never refuse a mental health sick note

Hundreds of GPs have told the BBC they have never refused to sign a sick note for a patient complaining of mental health issues. BBC News sent a questionnaire to more than 5,000 GPs in England asking if they had ever denied a sick note - known as a fit note - to someone who had requested one because of their mental health. Of the 752 GPs who replied, 540 said they had never refused such a request. Last year, a government-commissioned report looking into the role of employers in health and disability said that fit notes were "often problematic." The Keep Britain Working review noted GPs often did not have the time, or the occupational health training, to fully assess if someone was able to work or not. The BBC understands government officials are exploring other options, including so-called "stay in/return to work" plans developed with businesses and occupational health professionals. It is not clear if this would reform fit notes, or replace them entirely. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is one of 60 companies working with officials to see how this could work. Dr Richard Peters, JLR's chief medical officer, said firms had "a part to play" in supporting people with health conditions in work, adding: "It's the right thing to do because if we have a healthier staff, then we have a more productive workforce."
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WORKFORCE

John Lewis pays first annual bonus to staff in four years

John Lewis Partnership will pay staff their first annual bonus in four years, awarding a 2% payout as the retail group seeks to boost morale among employees. The employee-owned retailer reported 5% sales growth and a 6% rise in underlying profit to £134m for the year to January, signalling progress in its turnaround. The bonus comes after years of cost-cutting that included ending the final salary pension and other benefits, although staff recently received a 6.9% pay rise. The group's announcement came alongside its results for the year ended January 31st. Group revenues rose 5% to £13.4bn, helping it to a pre-tax profit of £134m. John Lewis sales grew 3% to £4.9bn, while at Waitrose revenues rose 7% to £8.5bn. 
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HIRING

PwC plans to hire more graduates

PwC plans to increase the number of graduates it takes on next year. UK boss Marco Amitrano said the consultancy had cut back on new graduate roles last year due to the flagging economy, not AI. Critiquing notions that younger workers are a "snowflake" generation, Amitrano said new hires to PwC had struck him as eager to learn and earn. "I don't see a new wave of young people coming into organisations wanting to work from home, being more vulnerable, more fragile. I don't see that," he said. "What I'm finding from our new joiners is that they want to be in the office, or on the client side, as often as they can be, because they're hungry."

Enforcement tightens on licences to hire migrants

More than 1,500 employers were stripped of their sponsor licence between October and December, up from 541 in the previous three months as the Home Office tightened its enforcement of immigration rules.
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WORKPLACE

Welsh Parliament rejects retail worker assault law

The Welsh Parliament has voted against a proposed UK law aimed at creating a new offence for assaulting retail workers. The Crime and Policing Bill, which includes measures for tackling crime, faced opposition from Plaid Cymru, Conservatives, Reform UK, and Liberal Democrats. Labour supported the Bill, arguing it would enhance safety in Wales. Social Justice Secretary Jane Hutt said the new offence would impose tougher penalties for criminals. The vote's outcome raises questions about the law's future in Wales: Westminster may still implement it despite the rejection.
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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

First V-level subjects announced with aim to 'prepare for future jobs'

Education, finance and digital are among the first new vocational qualification (V-level) subjects launching in England from 2027. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says the "bold reforms" will end the snobbery in post-16 education, and support young people to build secure, future-proof careers. GCSE-level post-16 qualifications for lower-attaining students via further study or occupational paths have also been announced. The Sixth Form Colleges Association welcomed the announcement, as well as the government's decision to retain BTecs while V-levels were phased in. The government says its post-16 plans are landmark reforms to help young people secure well-paid jobs. The first V-levels from 2027 will be in education and early years, finance and accounting, and digital. Learning will be designed around real jobs and the skills employers actually need, to help young people secure well-paid employment, the government said.
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TAX

HMRC considers tax exemptions for British nationals fleeing war

The UK tax office is considering a tax exemption for over 160,000 British nationals fleeing the conflict in the Gulf. Many may not have been tax residents in the UK, risking tax bills if they stay longer than 183 days. Those affected by "exceptional circumstances" can disregard up to 60 days. Robert Salter from Blick Rothenberg warned of the risk of becoming UK tax residents for those returning. He said: "People need to be very careful about how this will apply to them; nobody knows how long this problem in the Middle East will go on. It’s possible people will be here three to five months or even longer." An HMRC spokesman confirmed existing rules account for such circumstances.
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TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft adds Anthropic's AI technology to its Copilot service

Microsoft is bringing Anthropic's Claude Cowork to its Microsoft 365 Copilot AI platform. The Copilot Cowork service, which the tech giant said it developed in close collaboration with Anthropic, can handle long-running, multistep tasks such as preparing for a customer meeting by assembling a presentation, pulling together financials, emailing the team, and scheduling prep time. “We really believe right now is an inflection point,” Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer for AI at Work, told Fortune. “The inflection point for us is Copilot taking on these agentic capabilities and going from assistance to real doing.”
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INTERNATIONAL

Gulf banks shift to remote work

Western banks in the Gulf have mandated remote work for employees following threats from Iran. The Iranian military's spokesman, Ebrahim Zolfaqari, indicated that banks could be targeted after a rocket attack on Bank Sepah in Tehran. Citibank has closed most of its UAE branches, while HSBC has temporarily shut its three branches in Qatar. Other banks, including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, have also instructed staff to work from home.

US immigration crackdown fails to boost jobs, data suggests

One year into President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, evidence suggests that closed borders are not improving employment opportunities for US-born workers. Researchers from the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution estimate that net migration may have been negative in 2025 for the first time in at least 50 years, a situation coinciding with rising joblessness among native-born individuals. “Look at what we're seeing: The US-born unemployment rate has been going up. The US-born labour force participation rate has dropped,” said Mark Regets, a senior fellow at non-partisan research organisation the National Foundation for American Policy. “So if we've had a big withdrawal of immigrants from the labour force, we don't see any sign of the US-born workers getting more employment because of that.”

Atlassian cuts 10% of workforce in pivot to AI

Atlassian, Australia’s largest listed technology company, is to cut 10% of its staff, or 1,600 employees, in response to the threat posed by AI to its operations. The Sydney-based company said it plans to "rebalance" its resources to focus on the "future of ​teamwork in the AI era." CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes said in a ​memo to staff: "Our ​approach is not 'AI replaces people.' But it would be disingenuous to pretend AI doesn't change the mix of skills we need or the number of roles required in certain areas. It does." 

ABB partners with Nvidia to improve factory robot training

The robotics unit of Swiss-based ABB is teaming up with Nvidia to improve training methods of industrial robots. ABB will use Nvidia's Omniverse libraries of simulated ​data to make its training environments more realistic by incorporating typical factory floor details ​such as lighting, shadows, and textures in virtual simulations. ABB Robotics President Marc Segura said that ⁠robots' often-limited information about the world around them can ​undermine accuracy, repeatability and speed in training scenarios. "The industrial sector ⁠needs ​physically accurate simulation to bridge the gap between ​virtual training and the real-world deployment of AI-driven robotics at scale," observed Deepu Talla, vice president of ​robotics and edge AI at Nvidia.
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OTHER

Women judges lead the charge for justice

Women judges worldwide are addressing the gender justice gap, despite their under-representation in courts and tribunals. A UN Women report reveals that female involvement enhances the legitimacy and responsiveness of justice systems. In the small Pacific nation of Kiribati, women hold 38% of magistrate positions and 29% of legislative roles. Ruth Cross Kwansing, Kiribati's Women's Minister, said: "When women hold the gavel, the law begins to see women too." She pointed to the need for inclusive justice systems to build equitable societies, especially in the face of climate change challenges that affect women disproportionately.
 
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