Rachel Reeves, the Labour Party’s shadow chancellor, has been warned that raising employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) would breach their commitment against increasing taxes. This follows growing speculation that she will increase this levy in an upcoming budget. But business secretary Jonathan Reynolds suggested the pledge only applied to employee contributions, hinting at a possible change. To support Labour’s anti-austerity goals, the party needs to raise £25bn ($34bn) annually in tax hikes, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

LockBit ransomware group falls victim to hackers itself
A data leak has disclosed information about negotiations with victims, Bitcoin wallet addresses, affiliate accounts, and details of attacks.