Business

Competition among fuel retailers is “failing consumers” because drivers are still paying too much to fill up, according to regulators. In an update on its monitoring of the fuel market, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the cost to all motorists from the previously identified increase in retail fuel margins since 2019 was over

The chief executive of AstraZeneca has criticised a public health body for refusing to make one of its breast cancer treatments available to NHS patients in England and Wales. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decided in March this year that patients should be denied access to Enhertu because it said the

The private equity giant Apollo Global Management is on the brink of a deal to buy Evri, the British parcel delivery company, in a £2.7bn deal. Sky News has learnt that Apollo has seen off competition to acquire the company from rivals including JD.com, the Chinese internet group, and DHL. The deal could be announced

The new government should cut taxes on electric vehicles to revive flagging sales and help the industry hit its climate goals, the motor trade body has said. New car sales fell across the board in the last six months, with petrol, diesel and electric cars all falling 7.6%, but the industry is particularly concerned about

It is now even harder and more expensive for the UK’s biggest water provider to borrow money as leading credit ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded its debt to “junk” status. Thames Water’s parent company had already defaulted on some loan payments that make up its £16.5bn debt pile. More pressure will be put on its

Efforts to secure access to cash for consumers and businesses are being stepped up through a series of new rules to be imposed by the City watchdog. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that from 18 September, banks and building societies would face greater obligations to weigh if local communities lack access to services, like

A majority of England’s nine water and sewage companies are “failing to get the basics right”, according to annual rankings which labelled four operators as responsible for 90% of serious pollution incidents. The report by the Environment Agency (EA) covering 2023 showed there were 47 of the most serious pollution instances recorded – up from

Almost half of private renters in England are living in homes that are cold, damp or mouldy, even in the summer, according to new figures. A survey by Citizens Advice found 45% of private renters are currently experiencing damp, mould or excessive cold in their home. And the research found 48% of these households have

Carpetright’s future is understood to have been secured but the vast majority of its 1,800 staff are set to lose their jobs under a limited rescue deal. It is believed that rival floorings retailer Tapi will confirm it is buying just 54 of 272 stores and two warehouses in a so-called pre-pack administration that allows

Utilita, one of Britain’s top ten energy suppliers, is plotting to raise tens of millions of pounds to fund projects aimed at meeting net zero targets. Sky News has learnt that Utilita, which last season sponsored the Premier League football club Luton Town, has hired Alexa Capital to advise on the equity injection. Sources close

Travellers around the world are facing a second day of chaos in the aftermath of Friday’s global IT outage.  Here, Sky News looks at what you can do if you’re affected by the disruption. Air passengers Friday was meant to be one of the busiest days of the summer as families jetted off on holidays

TalkTalk, the telecoms group founded by Sir Charles Dunstone, will meet bondholders next week to discuss proposals for a £200m-plus capital injection from its owners. Sky News understands that the company and a group of key lenders and their advisers, will hold talks on Tuesday about plans for Sir Charles and other shareholders to inject

The owner of Homebase is in talks about selling the DIY retailer to one of Britain’s biggest general merchandise chains, as it prepares to launch a wider auction of the business it rescued six years ago. Sky News has learnt that Hilco Capital, which took control of an ailing Homebase in 2018, has had an

After the chaos of Friday’s global IT outage – without doubt the worst the world has seen – questions are starting to be asked about who, if anyone, will pick up the bill. Somewhat surprisingly, particularly given its share price has doubled during the year and was trading on a stratospheric rating, shares of CrowdStrike,

Close to one million customers of deals website Wowcher have been refunded £4m, the competition regulator has said. The company has also agreed to change its sales practices, which the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was concerned could mislead or unfairly pressure consumers into making quick purchases. Money latest: New mortgage deal allows friends, parents

The Bank of England has revealed disruption to some major financial transactions due to a “global payments issue”. In a statement, the Bank said its high value CHAPS service – which handles payments worth hundreds of billions of pounds each day – was affected and that had resulted in delays. They usually involve transactions between

A senior minister has told the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry that accountability for the scandal lies with the government, while the leader of the Liberal Democrats said he was lied to by senior executives at the company. Pat McFadden now serves as the most senior minister in the Cabinet Office, aside from the prime

The TV retail consultant known as ‘Mary Queen of Shops’ has called on the government to block a proposed London stock market listing by Shein. Mary Portas, who undertook a review of UK high streets for the coalition government led by David Cameron, was speaking as an online petition by the Say No to Shein

There has been no change to the rate of inflation which remained at 2%, the target rate for the Bank of England, according to official figures. It means prices in June rose at the same rate as in May, data from the Office for National Statistics showed. Money latest: Number of people claiming non-dom status

The International Monetary Fund has confirmed that it is expecting the UK economy to grow faster than previously expected this year. The Washington-based fund, which was predicting only last October the UK would be the slowest of all the G7 nations this year, now expects it to be firmly in the middle of the pack.