Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today, Friday (16 January 2026):
- New rules to make it easier to call up reservists for war: The government is to announce new powers making it easier to mobilise tens of thousands of former armed forces personnel to prepare for war. New rules will mean reservists remain on call for an extra decade, and lower the threshold for them being called into service. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the election of US President Donald Trump have put pressure on the government to ramp up defence spending and readiness for action. [Financial Times]
- Government to give cash payouts to people in financial crisis: A new funding scheme will give access to emergency cash for people on low incomes across England. The Crisis and Resilience Fund beginning at the start of April will provide £1bn annually for the next three years. People will be able to apply for emergency funds through their local council, whether or not they currently receive benefits. The new rules say councils can give money to people in financial shock where there is “a sudden, unexpected expense or drop in income”, like a broken boiler, the loss of a job or to prevent people from entering crisis. [BBC]
- UK to reduce red tape for robot and defence companies: Advances in AI and robotics will transform human jobs, starting with roles in warehouses and factories, the UK science minister has said, as the government announced plans to reduce red tape for robot and defence tech companies. Patrick Vallance said technological progress was creating a “whole new area” for robots to work in. [Guardian]
- Tax raids to hurt busy pubs the most: Labour’s tax raid will turn pubs in thriving areas into cash cows. Landlords claimed the Chancellor’s overhaul of business rates appeared designed to “penalise” them for running businesses in areas where pub culture is thriving. It came as Telegraph analysis showed that local authorities with the highest concentration of pubs face the biggest increases in property taxes from April. [Telegraph]
- On Friday, Oil was trading lower at $62.35. The pound is trading at $1.34, €1.15, and ¥9.32.
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