Mid-Week Matters | Vol 6 | CMR’s L-Day’s response, WITHOUT the boring bits.

Welcome to Issue 6 of Mid-Week Matters.

You’ll no doubt have a lot going on, so if you do read this, much appreciated.

And despite the industry being kept waiting until 5pm on Monday, you’ve probably seen and read most of the headlines already.

Here’s my take, if you’re interested.

It’s about time.

Yes, this increases the pressure on a sector already reeling from policy change after policy change. But in theory, this should clean up the umbrella market. Which is surely a good thing?

We all want the dodgy operators stopped. We want the rules to be uniform and adhered to – not bent and open to manipulation. All of this should help the businesses sticking to the rules stand out.

🏃 CMRs L-Day Rundown

Non-compliance is expected to cost £2.8 billion by 2030. That’s a huge amount of money disappearing.

Here’s how the government plans to fix it:

✅ From April 2026, recruitment agencies and end clients (if they go direct) will be responsible for making sure PAYE is done properly when workers are paid via an umbrella.

✅ Umbrella companies will be officially regulated and treated like employment businesses. The wild west days are coming to an end.

The government considered a few options but chose the simplest and strongest.

If you hire through an umbrella, it’s your job to make sure the tax is right. No more blaming someone else if it goes wrong.

What does this mean for you?

✅ If you’re an agency, it’s time to tighten up your PSL and due diligence.

✅ If you’re an end client and there’s no agency involved, the responsibility falls on you.

✅ If you’re an umbrella, prepare for more rules, more inspections, and more oversight.

There’s still a lot to digest. I don’t think anything in the announcement was a surprise, and I expect to be speaking to many of you over the coming weeks for your off-the-record thoughts.

But for me, this is good news.

It should level the playing field. It should protect workers. And it should make life harder for the small group of firms still causing chaos.

I’ll keep you updated as things develop. But for now, mark 6 April 2026 in your calendar. This is a big one.

💼 Role Up, Role Up – CMR Roles of the Fortnight

Sales Director – Contractor Payroll

• This is a strategic hire. Luke’s looking for a proven sales leader who understands the contractor payroll market, can build verticals from scratch, and wants to shape what comes next.
• 💰 £60k+ with uncapped commission
• 🏠 Fully remote (UK)
• 📣 Education market success already secured, now it’s time to expand
• 🚀 Big opportunity for someone who’s done the hard yards and wants the reins
• Less micromanagement. More trust to get results. If you’re a Sales Director or Senior BDM ready to step up, let’s talk.

New Business Team Manager

• Another strong role from Luke. Busy sales floor. Inbound and outbound contractor enquiries. You’ll lead from the front, not from a desk.
• 📍 Manchester | 💰 Up to £50k + team commission
• He’s after someone with team leadership experience in sales, ideally from financial services, insurance, mortgages, or anything with pace and pressure.
• No umbrella experience needed. Just energy, drive, and the ability to lift performance.

International Sales – Payroll & Financial Services

• Jake’s looking for someone who understands international sales, gets compliance, and knows how to open doors.
• You’ll be selling accountancy, payroll, or financial services into global markets
• And it’s 🏠 Remote | 💰 £50k

From CMR, With LinkedIn Love

• Teaser, teaser, teaser, from yours truly, here.
• If you can’t review, you should never do. Check out Jake’s here.
• Luke harkens back to the past and gets nostalgic, here.

📅 Lastly, there are just a handful of spaces left!

 

If there ever was a reason to NOT attend this event, I’m yet to find one.

Monday 15th September. Cloud 23. Legislation, Liability & Leadership.

You really can’t afford to miss this.

Thanks for reading and your support.

Missed last issue? Read it here.