The property developer Nick Candy has promised to give Chelsea fans a seat on its board if his bid to buy the Stamford Bridge club is successful. Sky News has learnt that Mr Candy, 49, will make the proposal a central part of his pitch to buy Chelsea, which he has supported since boyhood. The
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Sir Martin Broughton, the British businessman who rescued Liverpool from a bitter boardroom battle a decade ago, is in talks to spearhead a rescue bid for Chelsea as new details emerge about the financial chaos into which last season’s Champions League-winners have been plunged. Sky News has learnt that Sir Martin, a lifelong Chelsea fan,
There’s a warning that “a tsunami of poverty” will hit rural communities if more help isn’t provided to the 14% of British households living without access to mains gas. Many homes in the countryside which rely on oil, bottled gas, coal and wood to heat and cook are facing rapidly rising bills, made worse due
Bidders for Chelsea Football Club have been given extra time to bid for last season’s Champions League winners after the government’s decision to sanction owner Roman Abramovich threw an already-complex firesale into disarray. Sky News has learnt that parties which have joined the process being run by Raine, the New York-based merchant bank, were informed
The AA has raised hope that the record fuel prices, being hit across the UK daily in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will soon start to ease. The motoring group reported that average pump costs for a litre of unleaded on Thursday rose from 159.57p the previous day to 161.06p. Diesel marched upwards
Heathrow airport has raised fears that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will severely damage the aviation industry’s recovery from the pandemic. Publishing its latest passenger numbers, which remained almost 50% down on pre-pandemic levels last month, the airport warned that inbound demand was under particular threat. The UK’s biggest airport, which has reported £3.8bn in losses
The UK economy grew by a better than expected 0.8% in January, according to official figures as the chancellor faces intense pressure to deliver support to businesses and families to maintain the recovery from the coronavirus crisis. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the growth was driven by a return to consumer spending
Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government as part of attempts to crackdown on wealthy Russians with assets in the country. The Chelsea Football Club owner is one of seven more Russian oligarchs who have had sanctions placed on them by ministers on Thursday. Last week, Mr Abramovich announced that he intends to
Rishi Sunak must choose to either borrow billions more or allow households to suffer an income squeeze that could be the worst since the 1970s, a leading think-tank has warned. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the likely impact of the Ukraine crisis on inflation and public finances may force the chancellor to act when
The two British board members of Huawei’s UK subsidiary are to resign over the Chinese telecoms giant’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Sky News has learnt that Sir Andrew Cahn and Sir Ken Olisa notified the company on Wednesday that they intend to step down from their positions as non-executive directors. City sources
With Heineken and L’Oreal announcing the effective closure of their Russian operations today, the number of Western companies shunning the country continues to grow. Unilever – the Magnum, Domestos and Dove consumer goods titan – has also called a halt on exports to the country. The announcements in Europe came on the back of last
Boris Johnson has announced he will set out an Energy Independence Plan in the “course of the next few days” as April price hike looms. At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Johnson said his government “need to meet the long term impact of the energy price spike”. The announcement came as the prime minister was pressed
UK households face the biggest squeeze on their incomes since the mid-1970s as the Ukraine conflict deepens the cost of living crisis, a think-tank has warned. Britain is already experiencing its steepest inflation in three decades and a renewed surge in oil and gas prices caused by the war is set to push it above
UK fuel prices have soared to new record highs, with the average cost of a litre of diesel rising to £1.61, with no end in sight for spiralling pump costs. Data from Experian Catalist reported by the AA also showed unleaded at £1.55 on Sunday as the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued to
The cost of Brent crude oil has surged by 10% to its highest level since 2008 after the United States said a ban on Russian crude imports was being considered as a further sanction following president Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The international oil benchmark hit $130 a barrel early on Monday – with its US
The sibling founders of Caretech are plotting to make an offer for the social care group that would see it delisted from the London Stock Exchange. Sky News has learnt that Farouq and Haroon Sheikh, who set up Caretech in 1993, are in talks to secure the financing required to launch a takeover bid for
Visa and Mastercard have announced they are suspending operations in Russia. Credit and debit cards issued by Russian banks will no longer work outside of the country. Russian businesses and cash machines will also be unable to accept cards issued abroad. Both companies handle 90% of all debit and credit card payments outside of China
A pack of suitors from international sport, property and finance are this weekend exploring bids to take control of Chelsea Football Club from the Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich. Sky News has learnt that the owners of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball (MLB) team have begun considering an offer for the West London club, and
Facebook and Instagram are blocking RT and Sputnik for users in the UK following a request by the British government. It follows a letter by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in which she urged Meta, TikTok, and Twitter to restrict access to the Russian state-owned organisations which she accused of spreading “damaging propaganda into Britain”. “I
Microsoft has announced that it is suspending all new sales of its products and services in Russia. In a blog post on Friday, the company said: “Like the rest of the world, we are horrified, angered and saddened by the images and news coming from the war in Ukraine and condemn this unjustified, unprovoked and