On 7 January 2026, the DBT confirmed in a Written Answer to a Parliamentary question that it no longer intends to publish a draft Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill in the current session of Parliament. The answer states that the government is prioritising measures to reduce administrative costs for businesses, including the DBT's work on modernising corporate reporting (see FC Feature 21 October 2025). The government had announced its intention to publish a draft Bill in the 2024 King's Speech (see FC Feature 17 July 2024). In September 2025, a DBT minister indicated in a Letter to the chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee that the government would consult on its audit reform proposals in Autumn 2025 and that plans for legislation 'will be set out in the usual way through the King's Speech' (see Audit and auditors, Q&A here). The next King's Speech, which will open a new Parliamentary session, is anticipated to take place in May 2026.
First published on the Corporate News Service on 7 January 2026
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