News & Insights

At Mercia, we watched the Autumn Budget with great interest, despite the OBR blunder that led to the details being widely leaked before the Chancellor had a chance to address Parliament.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves set out tax-raising measures worth up to £26 billion in the Autumn Budget that was overshadowed by an extraordinary leak from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The fiscal watchdog accidentally published its own report before the Chancellor addressed Parliament, revealing the key measures in the Budget in the process.

Kite flying has long been a favoured pastime of UK Chancellors of the Exchequer and officials at the Treasury. The hobby involves leaking pre-Budget news of a possible tax hike or other possibly painful measure and then gauging the reaction from the press and public. If the idea gets a hostile backlash the kite soon falls back to earth, while those that are received more favourably keep flying until the big day when they are confirmed.
Rachel Reeves and her team have taken kite flying to previously unseen levels and the skies over Westminster have been over-crowded in the run up to the Autumn Budget. Here we look at some of the ideas that have been sent up and gauge how likely they are to be announced on 26 November.

At Mercia, we watched the Autumn Budget with great interest, despite the OBR blunder that led to the details being widely leaked before the Chancellor had a chance to address Parliament.

We recently launched your 2026 Training Programme, combining enhanced technical training with bold new content on technology, sustainability and professional skills.

September was a significant month for us at Mercia as our new website launched, with an enhanced Learning Hub at its heart.