Business

Six months ago, I was with Laurent Merlin as we entered British coastal waters in the middle of the night. As he guided his boat through heavy waves, circling around the lobster pots, he spoke of his nervousness about the uncertainty of Brexit. Now, nervousness has turned to anxiety, blended with anger. A fortnight before

The bosses of some of Britain’s best-known technology companies have been courted by Boris Johnson as they contemplate public flotations that would make them collectively worth tens of billions of pounds. Sky News has learnt that the prime minister held talks on Friday afternoon with executives from businesses including Deliveroo and Revolut, the digital banking

Retail sales fell by 3.8% last month when a four-week lockdown in England closed shops selling non-essential goods, official figures show. While the monthly drop from October ended six consecutive months of growth within the sector, overall sales remained above their pre-pandemic levels, the Office for National Statistics said. In November 2020, clothing store sales

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has apologised after an independent report severely criticised the City regulator that he led at the time of a £237m investment scandal. The report found the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was “wholly deficient” in the oversight of minibond provider London Capital & Finance (LCF). Former Court of Appeal judge

The chairman of pub chain Wetherspoon, Tim Martin, has blamed “flawed” scientific advice on coronavirus fataility rates for renewed curbs on the hospitality sector. The pub and hotel chain released remarks Tim Martin was due to make at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) as a rival slammed a “scandalous” government approach to the industry

Stockpiling has resulted in supply chain delays for 45% of manufacturing firms, according to a closely-watched survey of activity. The IHS Markit/CIPS flash composite Purchasing Managers’ Index for the services and manufacturing sectors suggested a return to growth early this month after coronavirus lockdowns dragged on the economy in November. But the report said manufacturing’s

Climate activists have lost a long-running legal battle to stop a third runway at Heathrow. The Supreme Court has overturned a previous Court of Appeal ruling in a case brought by Friends of the Earth and others against Heathrow Airport. The court was asked to consider if the government’s failure to take into account the

A new testing scheme designed to reduce the quarantine period for people arriving in England has suffered what has been described as a “chaotic start”. Launched on Tuesday, the scheme offered travellers the chance to cut the 10-day self-isolation by paying to take a coronavirus test after five days, and receiving a negative result. But

The latest job statistics show 819,000 fewer people in payrolled employment since the start of the coronavirus crisis in the UK. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the estimated figure, using PAYE (pay as you earn) data from HM Revenue & Customs, covered November as England entered its second national lockdown amid tougher COVID-19

British eating habits have transformed in the 47 years since the UK joined the common market. There was a time when olive oil was only available in chemists and rationing constrained the national palate to a narrow spectrum. Fast-forward half a century and Britain is a country that sloshes the extra-virgin around like cheap aftershave,

The government says it is to start talks with French energy firm EDF on a new nuclear power plant in Suffolk as part of a wider commitment to a clean energy future. It said the proposed £20bn Sizewell C plant would have to pass stringent affordability and value checks as the company makes the case

The American computer games giant Electronic Arts (EA) has gatecrashed the £725m takeover of Codemasters, the London-listed producer of some of the world’s most popular motor racing titles. Sky News has learnt that EA has tabled a potentially knockout bid for Codemasters, trumping an offer agreed last month with Take-Two Interactive Software, maker of the

A consortium of US-based investors is close to buying a big stake in the McLaren Formula One (F1) team in a deal that will value the historic British racing outfit at more than £550m. Sky News can exclusively reveal that MSP Sports Capital, whose partners have had extensive involvement in Major League Baseball, American basketball

The embattled engineering giant Rolls-Royce Holdings is kicking off a search for its next chairman, potentially paving the way for the company’s first foreign figurehead since it was privatised by the government more than 30 years ago. Sky News has learnt that Rolls-Royce’s board has begun the process of identifying a successor to Sir Ian

The pound came under pressure and UK banking stocks were sold off in volatile trading on Friday as fears of a no-deal Brexit intensified. Sterling dipped by nearly two cents to just above $1.31 against the US dollar- a four-week low. It was down by more than a cent versus the euro at a little

A £14bn damages claim on behalf of tens of millions of British consumers can proceed against Mastercard following a landmark ruling by the UK’s highest court. If the mass action brought by former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks is successful, it could see more than 46 million people pocket £300 each. Mr Merricks alleges the card