Business

An electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer backed by Amazon and Ford is in talks with ministers about building a giant factory in the UK that could include a big state support package. Sky News has learnt that Rivian, which is also backed by the Ford Motor Company and many of the biggest investors in Silicon Valley,

Up to a quarter of supermarket milk deliveries by the UK’s biggest dairy supplier have been unable to get through because of a shortage of lorry drivers. Speaking to Sky News, managing director of Arla Foods UK Ash Amirahmadi warned of a “summer of disruption” unless bold action is taken by the government to tackle

British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) is to increase flight numbers to meet the surge in demand for air travel as quarantine rules are eased. The group, which also operates Iberia and Aer Lingus, said it plans to operate at around 45% passenger capacity from July to September, compared with the same period

The US economy has recovered to surpass its pre-pandemic peak according to official figures – though growth was slower than expected in the latest quarter. Robust consumer spending fuelled by vaccinations and government stimulus helped gross domestic product (GDP) grow at an annualised rate of 6.5% in the April-June period, according to the bureau of

Between 1.1 million to 1.6 million workers remain on full or partial furlough as taxpayer aid for the wage support scheme prepares to be eased further, according to official estimates. A survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that businesses continued to claim COVID-19 salary aid on behalf of between 4% and 5%

Facebook was given the thumbs down by Wall Street despite doubling quarterly profits as it warned growth will slow sharply in coming months. Shares in the social media giant fell 5% in after-hours trading as it reiterated the likely impact of iPhone privacy policy changes as well as tough comparisons with a strong performance last

Airlines are putting pressure on the government to exempt fully-vaccinated Americans and EU visitors from quarantine on their arrival to the UK. Amid widespread reports ministers could announce such a move as early as Wednesday, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic – as well as Heathrow Airport – have claimed a recent trial demonstrates how international

Morrisons’ largest shareholder has said it is “not inclined” to back a £6.3bn takeover deal agreed by the supermarket’s board. Investment firm Silchester, which holds a 15.1% stake in the group, said the board should allow more time for offers to emerge that might better the bid from the consortium led by Fortress Investment Group.

Moonpig, the online greeting card and gift retailer, has reported a doubling of annual revenue and profits as lockdown restrictions on shoppers boosted demand. While high street rivals were forced into hibernation as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, the company benefited from almost 51 million transactions as customers flocked to mark

Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has ordered officials to launch a national security probe into the £2.6bn takeover of Ultra Electronics, a key supplier of military technology, by Cobham, the former London-listed defence group. Sky News has learnt that Mr Kwarteng has told civil servants at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

Senior ministers are set to discuss extending the rollout of daily COVD testing sites to ease the concerns of industry and frontline services by allowing further exemptions from isolation for critical workers. The COVID operations sub-committee of Cabinet will meet later to discuss if the number of jobs eligible for the testing regime should be

Zopa, one of Britain’s biggest digital financial services providers, is in talks with investors about a £100m capital injection that will put it on course to become the country’s latest fintech ‘unicorn’. Sky News has learnt that Zopa has hired JP Morgan, the Wall Street investment bank, to advise on what is expected to be

Taxpayers will spend decades exposed to financial risks from the government’s coronavirus spending, according to a committee of MPs. Parliament’s public accounts committee (PAC) has produced two reports related to the crisis, the first of which warns that Britain will be exposed to “significant financial risks for decades to come”. The cost of government measures

The newly listed owner of Burger King’s UK operations has begun drawing up plans for a sale of the business next year in a bet on an accelerated recovery of Britain’s pandemic-hit restaurant industry. Sky News has learnt that Bridgepoint Group is holding preliminary talks with investment banks about an auction of one of the

Boris Johnson is facing growing pressure to allow fully vaccinated people who have been identified as close contacts of coronavirus cases to be exempt from isolation. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has joined business leaders in calling for more workers to be allowed to skip quarantine if they are alerted by the NHS COVID-19 app to

The UK’s economic bounce-back has slowed sharply partly thanks to the impact of the “pingdemic” causing workers to isolate, according to a key business survey. A “flash” estimate of private sector activity for July showed the weakest expansion since March as Britain’s firms battle to recover from the coronavirus crisis. The reading of 57.7 –