Business

Post Office victims campaigner Alan Bates has told the inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal that it was “pretty obvious” the organisation “were after me – one way or another”. Mr Bates was also described as “unmanageable” by a former senior figure at the organisation, documents disclosed at the inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal

Retail sales were up in March – and are expected to grow further in the coming months as warm weather and events such as Taylor Swift’s UK tour boost consumer spending, according to industry analysts. Sports tournaments such as the Paris Olympics, along with factors such as falling energy bills, are also predicted to boost

Ted Baker is to shut 15 of its stores across the UK within weeks, the retailer’s administrators have announced. Around 245 staff will be made redundant. It comes after Sky News revealed that hundreds of jobs were at risk after the company behind the brand’s UK shops, No Ordinary Designer Label Limited (NODL), collapsed last

Santander UK, Britain’s fifth-biggest high street bank, is cancelling its membership of a key lending standards body because of the duplication of regulatory standards to which the industry is required to adhere. Sky News has learnt that the Spanish-owned bank served notice last week of its intention to quit the Lending Standards Board, citing the

English cricket chiefs will next week take another step towards a radical revamp of the sport’s ownership structure by launching plans to sell stakes in The Hundred’s eight franchises. Sky News has learnt that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will interview bankers in the coming days as they prepare to raise funds by

Employees across the country have today been granted the legal right to request flexible working from the day they enter a new job. Previously, the right was only applicable if someone had worked for their employer for 26 weeks or more. The Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023 gained Royal Assent in July as Kevin Hollinrake,

Josie Dom, 53, was thrilled when she moved into her new home in October. She bought 30% of it through the shared ownership scheme as an affordable route to home ownership, even if it was only partial ownership. The idea is to help people who would not be able to buy a home outright get

The crisis enveloping Thames Water has deepened after its holding company announced it had been unable to meet debt repayments. Kemble Water said it missed an interest payment that was due on Tuesday. The firm said it had asked its lenders to take no immediate action so as to “provide a stable platform while all

Administrators to The Body Shop are drawing up plans to launch a further restructuring process in a bid to salvage a future for one of Britain’s best-known high street brands. Sky News has learnt that insolvency practitioners at FRP Advisory have outlined proposals to launch a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) that would see The Body

House prices slipped by 1% in March following five consecutive months of growth, according to new figures from Halifax. The lender said affordability remained a challenge for potential buyers as recent declines in mortgage rates have stalled. It comes as financial markets become less optimistic about the timing and extent of interest rate cuts by

British billionaire Joe Lewis has avoided a jail sentence after admitting he orchestrated an insider trading scheme that helped those around him make millions. The former Tottenham Hotspur owner, who lives in the Bahamas, tipped off his girlfriend, friends, and two of his private pilots with inside information on four publicly-traded companies, which they used

The Dutch banking giant ING has been thrust into a pivotal role in determining the future of stricken Thames Water’s parent company amid growing expectations that lenders will agree a loan extension ahead of a repayment deadline this month. Sky News has learnt that ING is among the lenders due to be repaid £190m by

Tens of thousands of people are facing crippling tax demands from HMRC for tax their employers failed to pay. It’s an injustice that has been compared with the Horizon scandal. At least 23 victims have taken – or attempted to take – their own lives. For the first time, two of those who tried to

Tesla has reported a sharp fall in worldwide sales amid increased competition and slowing demand for electric vehicles. The carmaker said it delivered 386,810 vehicles during the first quarter of the year – down nearly 9% on the 423,000 it shipped from January to March last year. It marks the first year-on-year quarterly sales decline

Taylor Swift has made it on to a list of the world’s billionaires, according to Forbes, as her Eras Tour spanning 152 shows and five continents generated more than $1bn (£800m) in revenue. The 34-year-old superstar, who stole the show at this year’s Grammy Awards by winning album of the year for the fourth time,

The annual rate of shop price inflation almost halved in March, according to new industry figures. Falling food costs and competition between retailers contributed to the rate easing to 1.3% last month – down from 2.5% in February, the British Retail Consortium (BRC)-Nielsen Shop Price Index found. Annual shop price growth is now at its