The National Audit Office (NAO) has qualified the accounts of the British Tourist Authority (BTA) for the third year in a row, due to repeated and ongoing issues with irregular procurement activities and failure to secure government approval for more than £1m of unauthorised payments

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has launched two investigations into the audits of Eddie Stobart Logistics, one looking at KPMG’s work for the year ended 30 November 2017 and the other examining PwC’s auditing for the year to 30 November 2018  

The government has spent £124.3bn on programmes, initiatives and spending commitments in response to the pandemic, according to initial analysis from the National Audit Office (NAO)

EY has announced a shake-up of its top management team, splitting responsibility for audit and assurance under two separate heads, following the appointment of Hywel Ball as the firm’s managing partner and UK chair

The current crisis is exposing auditors to increased risks and client challenges while the need for professional scepticism and fraud awareness has never been greater, say Clyde & Co’s accountants’ liability team

The UK’s biggest audit firms are failing to improve the quality of their work because they are not making good use of tools to flag up problems early in the process so they can take action quickly, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has found

The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) is consulting on revisions to ISA 600, the standard covering group audits, to reflect a more risk-based approach and greater co-operation between audit engagement members

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is to investigate EY’s auditing of troubled FTSE 100 medical group NMC Health, which has gone into administration following the discovery of a string of accounting irregularities

Jeffreys Henry LLP has replaced mid-tier Grant Thornton as auditor at AIM listed Modern Water plc, a water technology group, which is going through a major restructure following balance sheet tensions. Sara White reports

Big Four audit giant KPMG and a current partner have been severely sanctioned by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) over significant audit failures which occurred in the conduct of a major company audit in 2016

A spate of corporate failures at large private companies has resulted in the creation of the mandatory Wates Principles to improve transparency on ownership and governance. Philip Smith assesses the impact on corporate reporting, intensified by the covid-19 pandemic

EY has resigned as auditor of troubled payments firm Finablr, parent of foreign exchange provider Travelex, citing concerns over the FTSE 250 company’s governance and demanding board changes, including the removal of a former EY partner as a non executive director

The length of time an audit partner can remain in position without rotating off the client company can be extended on a temporary basis due to the ongoing covid-19 crisis, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has confirmed, while it is calling for a halt on company audit tender processes, reports Philip Smith 

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) have announced a series of changes to the timing and content of financial information and the audit work required, in response to the current crisis, reports Pat Sweet

The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is closely monitoring the impact of covid-19 on audit quality inspections (AQI) as the US regulator suspends review work for 45 days, reports Philip Smith