Business

Rail strikes are set to cause further havoc today when train drivers walk out ahead of high-profile events including the FA Cup final, the Epsom Derby, and a Beyonce concert. Members of the Aslef union are taking industrial action in the long-running dispute over pay and working conditions. Read more: Everything you need to know

Two of the country’s biggest banking giants have announced they are closing a total of 63 branches. Barclays said on Friday it will shut another 10 branches, on top of more than 70 closures this year that have already been announced. Meanwhile Lloyds Banking Group will shut the doors on 21 Lloyds Bank sites, along

As food inflation rises to 19.2%, its highest rate in 42 years, the European Central Bank has suggested it could be down to, in part, businesses profiteering from the cost of living crisis by increasing their prices for larger margins, a term known as “greedflation”. But what is the data behind the suggestion? On the

The owner of British Gas is facing criticism from a leading City investor over the multimillion pound pay package handed to its chief executive after persistent criticism of windfall gains triggered by share price collapses during the pandemic. Sky News can reveal that abrdn, one of the London stock market’s most influential institutional shareholders, will

Amazon and a subsidiary have agreed to pay millions to settle two separate privacy cases against its Alexa and Ring doorbell devices. Both cases were taken by US government consumer watchdog, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Amazon denies violating the law. In a case against the Alexa voice assistant, Amazon agreed to pay $25m

CBI members are to begin voting today on the future of the business lobby group, following a series of scandals. The organisation was plunged into disarray after claims of serious sexual assault were made by CBI employees against colleagues. Today it will launch what it describes as an “ambitious ‘programme of change'”, with adjustments to

Rail passengers are set to suffer fresh travel disruption over the next few days due to more strikes in long-running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions. Train companies are warning that services will be “severely reduced” because of industrial action by drivers and other workers. Members of the drivers’ union Aslef will walk out on

Asda’s chairman has said supermarkets are owed a “debt of gratitude” as he dismissed talk of capping prices as “rather backward looking”. Stuart Rose’s comments come after reports that supermarkets will be encouraged to introduce voluntary price caps on essentials such as milk and bread to help customers cope with the cost of living. Lord

Only a third of UK hospitality businesses are optimistic about their future due to high energy prices and rising food costs, industry bosses have warned. Pub, bars and restaurants say their energy prices have surged an average of 81% over the past year, on top of rising food and wage bills. Wholesale gas prices, which

HSBC will next month unveil a new name for the technology-focused bank it rescued earlier this year after its US parent collapsed. Sky News has learned that Europe’s biggest lender intends to rebrand Silicon Valley Bank UK (SVBUK) under the name HSBC Innovation Banking. The new identity is expected to be announced to coincide with

The Ineos billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains the leading candidate to buy Manchester United Football Club despite an inconclusive board meeting held late last week. Sky News understands that directors of the Premier League club’s holding company met on Thursday to discuss the progress of its £5bn-plus auction. Controlled by members of the Glazer family

Plans to encourage supermarkets to introduce voluntary price caps on food staples in a bid to help with the cost of living crisis are being drawn up by Downing Street, according to reports. The scheme would aim to get retailers charging the lowest possible amount for some basic products like milk and bread, the Sunday Telegraph reported. A

The executive who presided over a bitter “cruises and cufflinks” row at one of Britain’s biggest wealth managers is preparing to step down. Sky News has learnt that St James’s Place, the FTSE-100 group which oversees more than £150bn of client assets, has kicked off a search to replace Andrew Croft. City sources said on

Ian King hears from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who says the government will do whatever it takes to bring down inflation, even if that means a recession. He also speaks to Nick Harding, the chief executive of consumer lender Fluro as analysis by PwC shows total household debt in the UK has exceeded 2 trillion pounds

The government finds its hands somewhat tied at present on measures it can take to boost economic growth. The parlous state of public finances – the government borrowed £25bn alone in April – means that neither meaningful tax cuts nor increases in public spending that lift productivity are feasible just now. So it is no

Britain’s largest building society has made some mortgages more expensive as the Bank of England’s interest rate is now expected to rise higher than previously thought. Nationwide has said interest rates on new fixed-rate mortgages will rise 0.45 percentage points. It follows moves by lenders such as Halifax, Santander and Atom Bank who also upped

Jeremy Hunt has told Sky News he is comfortable with Britain being plunged into recession if that’s what it takes to bring down inflation. The chancellor said that he would fully support the Bank of England raising interest rates higher, potentially towards 5.5%, as it battled higher-than-expected prices. Asked by Sky News whether he was

The energy price cap on household bills has fallen to an annual average of £2,074 between July and September, removing some of the financial pain inflicted by the unprecedented surge in gas and electricity costs. Industry regulator Ofgem made the announcement against a backdrop of good news for the cost of living crisis – with

Microsoft will on Wednesday lodge a formal appeal against British regulators’ decision to block its $75bn takeover of Activision Blizzard, the Call of Duty maker. Sky News understands that the technology behemoth will file its complaint with the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) within hours, sparking the next phase of its fight to secure one of

The rate of inflation is finally back in single digits for the first time since last summer, easing to 8.7% last month but food inflation remains near 20% and core price inflation is at a 30 year high. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the decline in the consumer prices index measure (CPI) was