Business

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife lost an average of £500,000 a day over the past year, according to The Sunday Times Rich List. The couple are estimated to be £201m poorer due a fall in the value of Akshata Murty’s stake in her father’s IT firm – but are still worth a reported

Asda staff could be threatened with the sack if they don’t agree to a pay cut, according to the GMB union. The supermarket chain confirmed it was considering ending a 60p-per-hour supplement paid to some workers in the South East of England. They have been paid the extra money for many years to make up

The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the subsequent period of mourning cost the UK government a total of £162m, according to the Treasury. Her death on 8 September 2022 triggered 10 days of national mourning that was then followed by a state funeral on 19 September. During the period, hundreds of thousands of people

Lord Tyrie, the former chair of the competition watchdog and architect of many of Britain’s post-financial crisis banking reforms, is among the candidates vying to head Ofgem, the under-fire energy regulator. Sky News has learnt that Lord Tyrie has put his name forward to replace Professor Martin Cave, who is due to step down as

Striking rail workers have vowed to continue walking out until the government “unblocks” their pay dispute on the second day in a row of cancellations. There are 14 rail operators affected by strike action by the RMT union on Saturday – the day of the Eurovision finale in Liverpool – after a separate walkout by

Virgin Orbit has pushed back the deadline for rescue bids as the commercial satellite venture founded by Sir Richard Branson scrambles to avert bankruptcy. Sky News has learnt that the company and its advisers have told would-be buyers of the company that they must now submit final offers by May 19, several days later than

Mike Lynch, the British software tycoon, has been extradited to the US weeks after losing a long-running legal battle against the move. Sky News understands that Mr Lynch arrived in San Francisco on a United Airlines flight on Thursday lunchtime, paving the way for the former Autonomy chief to be tried on criminal charges. One

The governor of the Bank of England has told Sky News he expects inflation to fall “rapidly” in just weeks – but warned two thirds of the pain from interest rate rises is yet to come. Andrew Bailey made the comments after interest rates were increased for a record-breaking 12th successive time, lifting the cost

The Bank of England has raised interest rates for a record-breaking 12th successive meeting, lifting the cost of borrowing to 4.5% and warning that inflation would be higher this year than it previously anticipated. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee said that there would be no recession this year, upgrading its economic growth forecasts by more

It’s an ugly word for an ugly phenomenon. ‘Greedflation’ is the new buzzword in economics. The thesis is quite simple. While a certain chunk of the inflation we’re currently living through can undoubtedly be put down to higher energy prices and a chunk put down to higher wages as employers pass those costs onto their

Prices have increased at the world’s largest holiday company and are now “notably higher” than just three months ago. The average selling price at Tui has increased 5%, which the company has described as “notably higher” than the 2% price increase reported in the first three months of its 2023 financial year. In its half-year

Ryanair has ended a price feud with Boeing to confirm a deal for 300 new planes which, the no frills carrier said, was a record US order by an Irish company. Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers said it was buying 150 737 MAX 10 aircraft with an option for a further 150 for delivery

One of Britain’s biggest companies has warned that the UK risks squandering its lead in one of the most important green technologies because of the government’s reluctance to support its companies. Johnson Matthey, the chemicals and metals company which is currently responsible for most of the world’s catalytic convertors, told Sky News it has intellectual

The chief executive of Royal Mail is in advanced talks to leave the company just weeks after his credibility was questioned by MPs investigating the performance of the former state-owned monopoly. Sky News has learnt that the board of International Distributions Services (IDS), Royal Mail’s London-listed owner, could announce as soon as this week that

The first cannabis company to stage an IPO on the London Stock Exchange will this week install a City veteran as its chairman and unveil a multimillion pound fundraising. The first cannabis company to stage an IPO on the London Stock Exchange will this week install a City veteran as its chairman and unveil a

The billionaire petrochemicals tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe is proposing a full buyout of Manchester United Football Club after three years if he succeeds with a £5bn offer to take control of the Old Trafford outfit. Sky News has learnt that the Ineos billionaire’s takeover bid includes put-and-call arrangements which would become exercisable in 2026, and

Adidas has reported a drop in sales but better than expected profits in the wake of its high-profile split from shamed rapper and fashion designer Kanye West. The sportwear company said the loss of his Yeezy trainers brand was “hurting” the business but it pointed to some of the pain being eliminated by a recovery

The crisis-hit CBI has drafted in a business ethics consultancy to aid a review of its culture four weeks before a meeting of its membership that will determine its future. Sky News can reveal that Rain Newton-Smith, the new CBI director-general, has signed off the appointment of Principia following an exodus of corporate backers two

BP is exploring a sale of two of the companies owned by its early-stage ventures arm in a move which could raise tens of millions of pounds. Sky News has learnt that the FTSE 100 company’s Launchpad division has begun contacting prospective buyers of Lytt and Onyx Insight in recent weeks. Lytt transforms large amounts

One of Britain’s leading independent precision engineering firms has been saved from collapse after a pre-pack administration deal led by its previous owner. Sky News understands Nasmyth Group is to remain under the control of Rcapital, the specialist turnaround investor, following a transaction that is expected to salvage more than 450 jobs. City sources said