Business

The prime minister has sought to soothe relations between France and the UK, telling journalists en route to the G20 in Rome that France is one of the UK’s “best, oldest, closest friends and allies”. Asked what he would say to President Macron when the pair meet in Rome this weekend, Mr Johnson responded: “[The]

Over 1,300 of the biggest UK-registered companies and financial institutions will soon have to make various climate-related disclosures. The disclosure standards on climate-related risks were voluntary but, following a recommendation in March, they will become mandatory from 6 April next year, subject to parliamentary approval. Those affected will include many of the UK’s largest traded

The energy regulator will conduct a consultation on how it caps bills, as many suppliers continue to struggle with increasing gas prices. Thirteen energy suppliers have gone bust since the beginning of September, beaten by soaring wholesale energy costs and unable to pass costs to customers due to the restrictions of the price caps. According

The economy has always relied on the labour of people whose work is insecure. But the pandemic left vulnerable workers in precarious and short-term employment at an even higher risk of exploitation, according to a new report seen exclusively by Sky News. The research, compiled by charity Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX), found that reports

Middle-income earners are likely to be worse off next year due to inflation and tax rises, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. IFS director Paul Johnson was delivering the organisation’s analysis of the budget presented by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Wednesday. Mr Sunak had labelled it a “budget to usher in a new age

The number of cars built in the UK has continued to fall for the third month in a row, dropping to their lowest level for September since 1982. A total of 67,169 cars were produced in Britain last month, a decline of 41.5% year-on-year, according to a new report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers

Here are the key points from Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget speech: • The chancellor says there are “challenging” months ahead, adding that inflation in September was 3.1% and is likely to rise further – the OBR expect it to average 4% over the next year • Pressures caused by supply chains and energy crisis will

Rishi Sunak has claimed his budget will deliver a stronger economy “fit for a new age of optimism”. In comments released by the Treasury ahead of the chancellor’s address to MPs in the Commons on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said the budget will commence the “work of preparing for a new economy post-COVID”. “An economy of

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said recent claims against the social media giant are an attempt to “paint a false picture of our company”. Whistleblower Frances Haugen has told MPs that groups on the social media site can be “dangerous” because they use algorithms that “take people who have mainstream interests and push them to

Petrol prices have hit a record high across the UK in what the RAC has described as a “truly dark day for drivers”. The average daily price per litre hit 142.94p on Sunday in data reported on Monday morning by RAC/Experian Catalist, which is separate from the weekly average record price reported by government. The

Users of the Tesco website and app are experiencing disruption following an “attempt to interfere” with the system, the retail giant has said. The website and app have been hit with outages since yesterday morning, meaning customers cannot place or track orders. Website users are given an error message when they try to access groceries

A shortage of bus drivers in the UK is being caused by better pay being offered to drive HGVs, according to a union. It’s thought there are more than 4,000 vacancies for bus and coach drivers across the UK. Some companies have been forced to cancel services because not enough drivers are available. Bobby Morton,

The Co-operative Bank has made an audacious approach about a merger with TSB in a move that could trigger a fresh wave of consolidation among Britain’s mid-sized lenders. Sky News has learnt that the Co-operative Bank contacted TSB’s Spanish owner, Banco Sabadell, earlier this month to gauge its appetite for a deal. It is understood

Inflation could top 5% in the months ahead, the Bank of England’s new chief economist has warned. The remarks by Huw Pill in an interview with the Financial Times are likely to be seized upon as the latest evidence of Britain’s cost-of-living crisis. Mr Pill also told the FT that the Bank would face a

More than 100 Conservative MPs have made a fresh plea to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to do more to support pubs and clubs at next week’s budget. In a letter to Mr Sunak, the group of Tory backbenchers have called on the chancellor to maintain a freeze on alcohol duties when he delivers his budget on

Green bonds offering savers the chance to back the government’s environmental projects are going on sale – but experts think the “paltry” returns on offer will see demand wilt. The bonds, described as the first ever green savings product issued by a country, go on sale online via the Treasury-backed National Savings & Investments (NS&I)

The maker of a host of well known consumer brands has revealed a big lift in prices and warned of worse to come as it battles “unprecedented cost inflation” around the world. Unilever, which produces foods such as Marmite, Cornetto ice creams and Hellmann’s mayonnaise alongside goods including Dove soap, said it had raised prices

Tesla said it had battled chip shortages, port congestion and rolling blackouts as it reported better-than-expected sales – but warned “outside factors” could hold back further growth. The electric car maker, led by billionaire Elon Musk, also boosted its profitability in the third quarter despite a 6% fall in the average selling price of its

Petrol retailers have been accused of “taking a bigger cut” by a motoring group after warning that record pump prices are expected within days. The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) – which shot to public prominence last month as the industry grappled delivery problems that sparked weeks of panic-buying in areas of England – blamed rising

Netflix has hailed the “mind-boggling” success of Korean hit Squid Game as it posted better than expected subscriber growth and pencilled in a further acceleration over coming months. The streaming giant revealed that 142 million households had watched the series – already the group’s biggest TV show – in the first four weeks since its