5 important things happening in the UK today

Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today, Monday (27 October 2025).

Billions of pounds squandered on migrant hotels due to incompetence: The Home Office has squandered billions of pounds housing migrants in hotels due to incompetence and has failed to recoup tens of millions of pounds in excess profits owed by companies, an investigation by MPs has found. The Home Affairs Committee found that a series of failures by the Home Office allowed the estimated cost of the ten-year asylum accommodation contracts to soar from £4.5 billion to £15.3 billion.
The report also revealed that, despite the rising cost of asylum hotels, the Home Office had failed to collect £46 million it was owed from two companies providing accommodation. [The Times]

Tax rises could push food prices higher, warn supermarkets: The bosses of Britain’s biggest supermarkets have warned food prices could rise even further if higher taxes are imposed on the sector. Grocers including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons signed a letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of her Budget next month, along with Lidl, Aldi, Iceland, Waitrose and M&S. They claimed households would “inevitably feel the impact” of any potential tax increases on the industry, such as higher business rates for supermarkets. [BBC]

NHS leaders warn of longer waiting times: NHS bosses are seeking an emergency injection of £3 billion to cover unexpected costs and have warned ministers that without it patients will wait longer for treatment and hospitals will start rationing care. Their move presents a fresh problem for Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, as she tries to find ways to fill an estimated £30 billion hole in the nation’s finances in her budget next month. [Guardian]

UK manufacturers invest at the slowest pace since 2017: British manufacturers are investing the least in new equipment relative to their sales since 2017, according to a report from trade body Make UK, which urged the government to streamline tax incentives in next month’s annual budget. Make UK said manufacturers were investing the equivalent of 6.8% of their annual turnover in plant and machinery this year, down from 8.1% in 2024 and the lowest proportion in any survey in the past eight years. [Reuters]