Business

The amount energy companies can charge for electricity and gas will rise from January but households will be protected from the increase. Ofgem, the energy regulator which limits the amount suppliers can charge for each unit of electricity and gas, increased its cap for the first three months of next year to 67 pence per

Pay growth has only kept up with inflation in one industry, official figures show. According to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), regular wages – wages excluding bonuses – have only risen as fast as prices in the professional and scientific industry. Jobs in the sector include legal services, management, engineering and scientific

Bikes and car parts retailer Halfords has announced it is to recruit 1,000 car repair technicians over the next 12 months. The company is hoping to attract retirees back into the workforce and to increase the number of women in the technical roles, as competition for workers caused problems. “A competitive labour market has led

A fresh round of rail strikes in the run-up to Christmas and in the New Year have been announced. Workers are to stage a series of 48-hour strikes in December and January in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions, the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union said. Over 40,000 members across Network

Government borrowing leapt above COVID-19 levels to reach the fourth highest monthly amount since records began in 1993, official data shows. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that public sector net borrowing came in at £13.5bn in October as the energy bills support scheme were rolled out. The figure is actually £7.5bn less than

Shell will review £25bn of investments in British projects after the chancellor extended the windfall tax on energy companies, its UK chairman has told Sky News. David Bunch said the oil giant would re-examine each of its projects on a “case-by-case basis” after Jeremy Hunt increased the levy on “excess” oil and gas profits from

UK firms should be “looking to the British workforce” rather than relying on immigrants to fill jobs post-Brexit, a minister has said. At its annual conference, the director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Tony Danker, called on the government to use immigration to solve worker shortages in the UK, saying it must

A venture capital fund backed by the advertising mogul Sir Martin Sorrell will this week unveil its first public investment in a US digital asset management platform. Sky News understands that S4S Ventures, which was set up this year by Sir Martin and Stanhope Capital Group, are jointly leading a $10m Series B fundraising by

Climate change activists have occupied Gordon Ramsay’s three-star Michelin restaurant in London. Members of Animal Rebellion entered Restaurant Gordon Ramsay on Hospital Road, Chelsea, at around 6pm on Saturday. Wearing smart casual clothing, they sat at tables reserved for guests of the high-end restaurant. They held mock menus outlining the environmental costs of items served

A multimillion-pound payout to Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary, is in jeopardy amid faltering talks about a sale of the asset management business he cofounded. Sky News has learnt that negotiations between Somerset Capital Management, in which Mr Rees-Mogg is a substantial shareholder, and prospective buyer Emso Asset Management have stalled in recent weeks.

Elon Musk has posted a poll on Twitter asking users to vote on whether former US President Donald Trump, who was banned from the social media site by its previous owners, should be reinstated. The Twitter boss accompanied it with the words: “Vox Populi, Vox Dei” – a Latin phrase meaning “the voice of the

Brexit, slashing investment and Liz Truss’s mini-budget are among the “own goals” that have led to the UK’s dire financial straits, according to a top economist. Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), has been speaking about what left the UK in a position where yesterday’s autumn statement – that will

Twitter employees have been told that all office buildings have been temporarily closed – with more staff thought to be leaving the social media firm. The managing editor of the tech site Platformer, Zoe Schiffer, tweeted that employees were not given details as to why the offices had been temporarily closed until Monday 21 November.

Royal Mail is seeking to reduce its commitment to letter deliveries as an estimated £70m impact from strike action is blamed for plunging its parent firm into the red. International Distributions Services, which includes its GLS global delivery division, reported pre-tax losses of £127m for the 26 weeks to 25 September. That compared to profits

Here are all the main announcements from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement to MPs: • Energy bill aid for households extended beyond April for a further year through energy price guarantee, but average annual bill will be £3,000 from current £2,500. Amounts to around £500 support for households. • Additional cost of living payments next

A Chinese-owned tech company has been told to sell the majority of its stake in a UK silicon chip factory due to security concerns. The government has said Nexperia must reduce its stake in Newport Wafer Fab by 86%, back to its previous holding of just 14% when it took over the firm in 2021,

The sharp rise in inflation is a bill that’s been in the post for the British economy since the spring. It’s finally landed on the national doormat, but the fact we knew it was coming will not make it any easier to pay. The chief driver of CPI reaching 11.1%, a one percentage point leap

The Chinese owner of Thomas Cook is exploring the sale of a stake in the famous British holiday brand three years after its ignominious collapse. Sky News has learned that Fosun Tourism Group is examining options including raising capital from an outside investor in the coming months. Industry sources said on Tuesday that Fosun was

The cracks are starting to show. Tuesday’s labour market figures suggest that the economic malaise afflicting the country is now spreading to the jobs market. The unemployment rate edged higher in the three months to September to 3.6%, in a sign that employers are paring back their hiring plans in the face of rising costs

The Bank of England Governor has denied having any part in the downfall of Liz Truss. In an interview with Sky News, Andrew Bailey said that he “vehemently disagrees” with allegations that the Bank‘s actions precipitated the departure of the former prime minister. It followed claims from Narayana Kocherlakota, the former president of America’s Federal