Business

There was a worse than expected performance for retail sales last month, defying predictions of a consumer-led pick up from recession for the UK economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported sales volumes were flat in March, following an upwardly revised figure of 0.1% for the previous month. It said sales at non-food stores

Ministers are to kick off a search for the inaugural chair of the new football watchdog, even as it faces growing hints of opposition to its establishment from the Premier League. Sky News has learnt that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will launch the appointment process for the role at the Independent

It’s not quite a Mission Accomplished moment – the equivalent of that day in 2003 when George W Bush stood on an aircraft carrier and prematurely declared the Iraq war was over. But Jeremy Hunt’s declaration in our interview in Washington DC that he had achieved a “soft landing” in the economy certainly has a

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said that “better times are ahead” but that the fundamentals of the UK economy are “very strong”. Speaking to Sky News in Washington, Mr Hunt pointed to price rise data from today showing a drop in the rate of inflation as well as the latest jobs figures and IMF economic growth

On the face of it, the March inflation figures are good news. The headline Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure fell from 3.4% in February to 3.2% and the ‘core’ measure, which strips out volatile elements such as energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, eased from 4.5% in February to 4.2%. However, both figures are higher than

The government would not have accepted faulty accounting software Horizon being phased out, a former Post Office chief executive told the inquiry into the wrongful prosecution of sub-postmasters. The inquiry seeks to find out who knew what and when about the accounting computer programme that falsely generated financial losses at Post Office branches across the

A weaker than expected easing in the pace of pay rises means real earnings growth, when inflation is taken into account, is at its highest rate in almost two and a half years, according to the latest official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said average regular pay, excluding bonuses, stood at 6% in

The future of Nick Read, the embattled Post Office chief executive, will be determined this week with the publication of a report triggered by whistleblowing allegations about the conduct of the state-owned company’s bosses. Sky News has learnt that an independent report compiled by Marianne Tutin, a barrister at Devereux Chambers, has been submitted to

Global oil prices were trading slightly lower early on Monday, despite a weekend dominated by rising tensions in the Middle East. International benchmark Brent crude was down by almost 0.4% at $90 a barrel in Asia dealing, while US crude futures were also lower, according to LSEG data. Market experts said the moves reflected the

An arm of Standard Chartered, the FTSE-100 bank, is taking a stake in a British company set up with the objective of providing ethical financial products to customers. Sky News understands that SC Ventures will announce on Monday that it is injecting an unspecified multimillion-dollar sum into Algbra, which counts a host of illustrious names

Getir, one of the world’s largest grocery delivery platforms, is in talks about a radical restructuring just two years after it was valued at nearly $12bn (£9.6bn). Sky News has learnt that Getir, which was founded in Turkey and now operates in five markets including the UK, is examining a number of options as part

Three of the “big four” boiler manufacturers for the UK cannot guarantee customers will be refunded the so-called “boiler tax” that companies added to new boilers earlier this year. In January boiler-makers hiked costs by up to an extra £120 per boiler to cover anticipated penalties for a green scheme – which has now been

Poor software and bias toward making only small, sequential changes is one of the reasons economic forecasters at the Bank of England failed to predict and prepare for the cost of living crisis, brought about by high inflation, according to a “once in a generation” review. The review announced last year was undertaken by the

A former Post Office boss has said he wanted “most strongly” to record his personal apology to branch managers impacted by the Horizon IT scandal. As managing director of the group from 2006 to 2010, Alan Cook was at the helm when about 200 prosecutions were brought against subpostmasters. Hundreds of people were wrongly convicted

The UK economy has grown slightly for the second month in a row, official figures show. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew just 0.1% in February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. It’s another signal that the UK economy is working its way out of recession. Growth of 0.3% was recorded last month – and

A former Post Office executive who celebrated the conviction of a pregnant sub-postmaster has said sorry. Former managing director David Smith made the apology to the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry, which is investigating who knew what and when about the faulty accounting software that ruined lives and led to the conviction of hundreds of

The investor trying to take control of Everton Football Club has pushed back its target date for completing the deal as it scrambles to raise hundreds of millions of pounds to fund it. Sky News has learnt that 777 Partners has told stakeholders including the Premier League and prospective lenders that it now expects its

China ramped up coal power capacity last year, according to new analysis, despite a pledge to “strictly control” the dirtiest fossil fuel. The country added 47.4 Gigawatts (GW) of new coal power in 2023, more than double the amount added by the rest of the world combined. It raises concerns that gains in clean power,

More than seven million people in the UK were struggling with bills and credit repayments in January, according to a financial watchdog. The number is down significantly on the 10.9 million people in the same position in January 2023. However, it’s still above the 5.8 million recorded in February 2020, before the pandemic and the

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