{
  "id": 14698787,
  "title": "Big Four scoop £1.5bn in government contracts despite Labour’s pledge to cut spend",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/big-four-scoop-1-5bn-in-government-contracts-despite-labours-pledge",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-15T12:42:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/big-four-scoop-1-5bn-in-government-contracts-despite-labours-pledge-to-cut-spend/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Big Four accounting and advisory firms have collectively landed over £1.5 billion in government contracts this year, despite Labour's promise to reduce spending on external consultants. Market intelligence platform Tussell found that the UK government awarded KPMG, Deloitte, EY, and PwC more than £1.5 billion in contracts so far in 2026, marking the second most successful year since Tussell started tracking in 2012, only surpassed by the pandemic years. KPMG secured the second position, earning over £413 million in government contracts. EY ranked third with £260 million, while PwC was fourth with more than £211 million. The surge in government spending follows Labour's 2024 pledge to slash taxpayer funding for external consultants, coupled with a £1.2 billion procurement control plan by the government. However, the challenge remains the civil service skills gap, particularly in digital transformation areas such as cybersecurity, AI, and data analytics. Consulting support is deemed crucial for tackling complex projects where internal talent is lacking. The UK public sector consulting market is expected to grow by around five percent in 2026, compared to six percent for the broader consulting sector.",
  "summary": "The Big Four have collectively secured over £1.5bn in public contracts so far this year despite the UK government’s pledge to cut spending on external consultants to save taxpayers’ money. An investigation by market intelligence platform Tussell found the government has awarded KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PwC over £1.5bn in contracts so far in 2026, [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}