Businesses say a range of factors put them off hiring apprentices.

Hannah Larsen, policy officer at the British Chambers of Commerce, said demand for degree apprenticeship was rising “at a time when businesses’ operating margins are under increasing pressure”.

“Higher employment costs, alongside wider economic uncertainty, mean recruitment is being paused, with younger and less experienced workers hit hardest,” she said.

She added that there was “considerable uncertainty over the future of apprenticeship funding”.

At Yorkshire-based manufacturing company Fives, most apprentices are at lower levels and study at nearby Keighley College, but there is one degree apprentice.

Jo Jackson, head of human resources, said she would like to hire more apprentices but training is expensive and the content apprentices are taught is not always “flexible enough”.

“Business needs are changing all the time, but it’s very, very difficult to change the syllabus,” she said.

“If we think about AI and how it’s changing the world of work, the apprenticeships don’t cover that.

“They can’t change quickly enough to keep up.”

Heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to lead to travel disruption and flash flooding in some places

The Met Office has issued a weather warning across Northern Ireland on Wednesday.

A yellow warning for thunderstorms will be in effect from 12noon on August 19 and last until 23:59 affecting all counties.

The forecaster said: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to lead to travel disruption and flash flooding in some places.”

The Met Office added: “A band of heavy showers is expected to spread across Northern Ireland from west to east late morning and early afternoon, with further slow-moving heavy showers or thunderstorms developing later.

“Within these showers, 15-20 mm of rain is likely in an hour or less, with a few places probably seeing 25-30 mm in a couple of hours. While rain will be the primary hazard, hail and lightning are also likely in places.”

As for what to expect during the yellow weather warning, the Met Office has issued some details.

They said:

• There is a good chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus
• Some flooding of a few homes and businesses likely, leading to some damage to buildings or structures
• Probably some damage to a few buildings and structures from lightning strikes
• Delays to train services are possible
• Some short-term loss of power and other services is likely

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The victim remains in hospital

A man has been stabbed in Cambridge. Cambridgeshire Police were called to “reports of violence” in Tenison Road at around 9pm on Tuesday (August 18).

A man was taken to hospital with stab wounds and remains in hospital. Officers arrested two men in connection with the incident.

A police spokesperson said: “Two men in their 20s were arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and remain in custody at this time.”

The East of England Ambulance Service were called to reports of an assault just after 9pm. An ambulance spokesperson said: “We were called at 9.05pm yesterday to reports of an assault on the junction of Tenison Road and Mill Road in Cambridge.

“An ambulance, ambulance officer vehicle and a rapid response vehicle were sent to the scene. An adult man was transported to hospital for further treatment.”

Do you want more of the latest Cambridgeshire news as it comes in from across the county? Sign up to our dedicated newsletter to make sure you never miss a big story from Cambridge or anywhere else in the county. You can also sign up to our dedicated Traffic and Crime newsletters for the latest updates on the topics you are most interested in.

National Rail says passengers affected can travel on the next Northern service to their destination, where available.

Northern tickets may be used at no additional costs on-board the following Bee Network buses: 8, 36, 37, 38, 50, V1, V2, 471, 480, 507, 521, 524, 525, 527, 533, 534, 537 and 541.

Northern train ticket restrictions have been lifted in the affected areas, including Advance and Peak restrictions, during this disruption.

Restrictions will be reinstated once the disruption ends, National Rail says.

Man United are aware of interest in Bruno Fernandes, amid reports of a £43million bid from Galatasaray, and are said to be interested in Adam Wharton and Kim Min-jae. Liverpool, though, are set to pass up on the option to sign Ibrahim Mbaye but have taken another huge step towards bringing in his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Bradley Barcola.

By LUCY EVANS, SENIOR MONEY REPORTER

Updated: 10:00 BST, 19 August 2026

The taxman has ramped up its crackdown on cryptocurrency investors suspected of tax evasion, This is Money can reveal.

Crypto traders thought to have underpaid taxes on their investments have been warned via a barrage of letters sent out by HM Revenue and Customs.

It has posted 81,000 warning letters to those suspected of underpaying tax in the past year – a 25 per cent increase on the 65,000 letters it sent in the previous year, according to a Freedom of Information request obtained by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young.

Warnings may come in the form of a letter, text message or notification.

Advertisement

Tax authorities are expected to probe swathes of traders next year when it starts to receive telling transaction data from cryptocurrency exchanges.

But before these investigations are launched, the tax authority is sending the ‘nudge’ letters to urge crypto holders to declare unpaid tax.

More than 80,000 letters have been sent to investors urging them to cough up unpaid tax

Advertisement

The price of the most popular cryptocurrency, bitcoin, has softened recently, falling from around $117,000 a year ago to around $63,000 today.

But tax officials suspect there are large amounts of unpaid tax from the bull run crypto assets saw in the three years to October 2025.

Like any other asset, investors must pay capital gains tax on any profits they receive when they ‘dispose’ of their cryptocurrency.

This can be if you sell it, exchange it for a different type of crypto asset, use it to pay for goods or give it to another investor.

Advertisement

Everyone gets a £3,000 CGT-free allowance every tax year, but if your profit exceeds this then you must pay tax at 18 per cent for basic-rate taxpayers, and 24 per cent for everyone else.

Neela Chauhan, partner at UHY Hacker Young, says: ‘There is the expectation among tax authorities that cryptocurrency investment is rife with tax evasion.

‘A lot of the traders are young, have had little previous exposure to HMRC and often work under the assumption that HMRC has limited visibility over their activities.

‘Crypto investors often forget that you may still have made a taxable gain even when you are swapping one cryptocurrency for another and might not be aware that the income you can earn by lending cryptocurrencies is taxable.’

Advertisement

The number of tax investigations into crypto investors is set to soar next year as the department will receive data on traders from swathes of online crypto marketplaces.

Officials can currently ask UK cryptocurrency businesses for information about taxpayers.

But by the end of May they will receive data on UK residents from cryptocurrency exchanges in 52 different jurisdictions, including the Channel Islands, the Cayman Islands and Ireland, as well as the UK.

Information passed between officials will include an investor’s name, address, National Insurance number and full transaction records.

Advertisement

One year later, another 15 jurisdictions will start handing over information to HMRC.

Investors trying to dodge tax will then be probed by authorities, which will be armed with this data.

Ms Chauhan adds: ‘Once HMRC has this data then tax investigations into cryptocurrency investors will be like shooting fish in a barrel.’

DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS

AJ Bell

AJ Bell

Easy investing and ready-made portfolios

Hargreaves Lansdown

Hargreaves Lansdown

Free fund dealing and investment ideas

interactive investor

interactive investor

Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month

Freetrade

Freetrade

Investing Isa now free on basic plan

Trading 212

Trading 212

Free share dealing and no account fee

Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.

Advertisement

Compare the best investing account for you

Teenagers can access GCSE results online for the first time on the Education Record app

Advertisement

Students can access GCSE results online for the first time in 2026 thanks to a new education app.

Students can still traditionally collect results from their school tomorrow morning, and timings may vary depending on the school. This year, students can access grades through the Education Record app, after a trial involving 95,000 students in Manchester and the West Midlands last summer.

The Mirror reports the app offers a digital record for future use when applying for further education or employment and will be updated on results day.

What time are GCSE results released in schools?

GCSE results will be available to students by schools from 8am on Thursday, however timings can depend on the school and what the teachers have decided. Individual schools set their own collection arrangements and will inform students what time they should arrive on site to pick up their envelopes.

Are GCSE results released online?

For the first time this year many GCSE students will be able to see their results online on the Education Record App. Results will update online on the Education Record app at 11am.

The Department of Education announced the £30m app in January. Schools using the app need to provide a QR code to students to link to their record.

What happens if you can’t collect your GCSE results on Thursday?

If students are ill, on holiday or unable to visit the school, they can typically arrange in advance to receive their results by email or post. Emails will generally arrive on results day but grades sent through post could take a bit longer.

The process will depend on the school. Students may also be able to nominate someone else to collect their results, just make the person brings a signed letter and photo ID.

By TAMARA PRENN, SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER

Published: 09:38 BST, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 09:49 BST, 19 August 2026

Sort Your Life Out host Stacey has been given a major boost in her presenting career, with the update coming ahead of her new ITV role

Stacey Solomon has been given a major boost in her presenting career, with the update coming ahead of her new ITV role alongside Alan Carr being revealed.

As fans will recall, the singer-turned-presenter shot to fame on The X Factor, appearing on Simon Cowell’s ITV singing competition back in 2009, where she finished in third place behind runner-up Olly Murs and eventual winner Joe McElderry.

But after she appeared on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2010, and was crowned ‘Queen of the Jungle. ‘ Stacey’s career on the small screen took off, and she has since been a panellist on Loose Women and is now the host of her own BBC show, Sort Your Life Out.

And as a result of her TV work, the mum-of-five has been nominated for the TV presenter prize at the upcoming National Television Awards, which is set to take place on September 8, and air live on ITV and ITVX.

She will go up against beloved naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who has been recognised for his nature documentary The Secret Garden, in the year of his 100th birthday, as well as This Morning host Alison Hammond, former Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman, who is the current face of The Traitors.

Meanwhile, TV presenting duo Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly are also in the running, after their 23-year winning streak was ended by former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker at the 2025 ceremony.

Following the release of the nominations for this year’s NTAs, a post from Optomen, the production company behind Sort Your Life Out and Stacey & Joe, on Instagram read: “We are excited to announce @staceysolomon has been shortlisted for Best TV Presenter at the NTA Awards! Voting is now open – Head to the link in our bio to make your vote count! #NTAawards #VoteNow #StaceySolomon.”

As well as that, Stacey and her husband, Joe Swash, have also been nominated in a new category recognising the rise of fly-on-the-wall celebrity-led shows, for their BBC series, Stacey & Joe, which has been put up against At Home With The Furys, Clarkson’s Farm, Fletchers’ Family Farm, and Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

But the news also came as it was revealed that Stacey will join the next series of The Masked Singer. The 36-year-old has said she’s “so excited” to be a celebrity guesser on the hit show, joining comedian and fellow presenter Alan Carr.

According to The Sun, Stacey said: “I’m so excited to be joining Alan Carr’s team on The Masked Singer. Me and my family are huge fans of the show. I can’t wait to start sleuthing and hopefully unmask a few more superstars.”

Radio legend Ken Bruce was a staple at the BBC for over four decades before he made the decision to leave in 2023.

Advertisement

Ken Bruce has opened up on when he knew it was time for him to leave BBC Radio 2 after so many years on-air.

The 72-year-old had been at the broadcaster for over four decades and fronted his mid-morning show on Radio 2 for just over 30 years.

Three years ago, he left the station to join Greatest Hits Radio, taking a large proportion of his loyal listeners with him.

In a recent instalment of Good Morning Britain, Ken confessed he didn’t decide to leave for any dramatic impact, but knew he had time to do one more thing in his career, reports the Mirror.

Speaking to Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway, he praised the ‘fantastic’ years he at at the broadcaster before confessed he felt he was no longer felt like the ‘youngster’ he was used to being, having played alongside the likes of Terry Wogan and Jimmy Young.

Advertisement

Admitting he became a veteran ‘overnight’, Ken added that he didn’t want to ‘be the old bloke in the corner being made fun of’ as he shared that’s when he knew it was ‘time to go’.

During his final sign-off on BBC Radio 2, Ken played Golden Slumbers by The Beatles as he quoted the song, saying: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make – and I have loved being here with you.”

He continued: “Thank you so much, and may we meet again somewhere. Thank you to everybody who has contributed in any small way to this programme, particularly the listeners.

Advertisement

“I really couldn’t do it without the listeners, who contribute and complete the dialogue. We talk to each other on a daily basis, and I hope sometime in the future we may be able to continue doing that.

“Thank you, particularly to the members of the Ken Bruce preservation society who sent in a lovely bottle of a certain Irish cream liquor, which I did think about drinking after song nine of the show today, but I thought I’d better just wait until now.

“That is very, very kind of you. Thanks to all who have sent any kind of message of congratulations or good riddance!”

Advertisement

Ken continued his sign off by thanking his production team, Phil McGarby and Jeanine Mayer-Smith, calling the duo a ‘fabulous pair’.

He finished off with: “To the BBC I have been here for a long time and apart from the occasional vagary it is still the finest broadcasting organisation in the world.”

Although he left the broadcaster, Ken took his popular trivia quiz show PopMaster with him, having it air on Channel 4 in a new TV format.

Good Morning Britain is available to watch weekdays on ITV from 6am.