Business

NatWest has an increasingly confident air about it. The biggest lender to small and medium-sized businesses in the UK today posted another set of results that were better than expected – and raised its profit forecasts for the year. It also announced an eye-catching acquisition – agreeing to pay up to £2.4bn in cash for

The chief executive of AstraZeneca has criticised a public health body for refusing to make one of its breast cancer treatments available to NHS patients in England and Wales. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decided in March this year that patients should be denied access to Enhertu because it said the

The private equity giant Apollo Global Management is on the brink of a deal to buy Evri, the British parcel delivery company, in a £2.7bn deal. Sky News has learnt that Apollo has seen off competition to acquire the company from rivals including JD.com, the Chinese internet group, and DHL. The deal could be announced

The new government should cut taxes on electric vehicles to revive flagging sales and help the industry hit its climate goals, the motor trade body has said. New car sales fell across the board in the last six months, with petrol, diesel and electric cars all falling 7.6%, but the industry is particularly concerned about

It is now even harder and more expensive for the UK’s biggest water provider to borrow money as leading credit ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded its debt to “junk” status. Thames Water’s parent company had already defaulted on some loan payments that make up its £16.5bn debt pile. More pressure will be put on its

Rishi Sunak’s decision to cancel HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester will lead to reduced capacity on passenger trains to the North West and could cut economic growth, the government spending watchdog has found. Mr Sunak controversially cancelled the high-speed line north of Birmingham at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester last October, describing the troubled

Efforts to secure access to cash for consumers and businesses are being stepped up through a series of new rules to be imposed by the City watchdog. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that from 18 September, banks and building societies would face greater obligations to weigh if local communities lack access to services, like

Almost half of private renters in England are living in homes that are cold, damp or mouldy, even in the summer, according to new figures. A survey by Citizens Advice found 45% of private renters are currently experiencing damp, mould or excessive cold in their home. And the research found 48% of these households have

The former government minister who was asked by the last chancellor to help turbocharge inward investment into the UK will this week be named chairman of a private London property developer. Sky News understands that Lord Harrington is joining Regal as it prepares to raise capital to fund its growth. Lord Harrington, whose review for

Ryanair has reported weaker profits than expected for its first financial quarter, blaming a need to “stimulate” flight sales amid heightened consumer caution. Europe’s largest carrier by passenger numbers said it had engaged in more discounting than expected in the three months to the end of June, with the average fare 15% down, and it

Utilita, one of Britain’s top ten energy suppliers, is plotting to raise tens of millions of pounds to fund projects aimed at meeting net zero targets. Sky News has learnt that Utilita, which last season sponsored the Premier League football club Luton Town, has hired Alexa Capital to advise on the equity injection. Sources close

Nail bars and car washes will be targeted by immigration officers as they step up enforcement action over the summer, the home secretary has announced. Yvette Cooper said 1,000 civil servants working on the now-abandoned Rwanda scheme will staff a new “returns and enforcement programme”. Writing in the Sun on Sunday, she said the programme

Travellers around the world are facing a second day of chaos in the aftermath of Friday’s global IT outage.  Here, Sky News looks at what you can do if you’re affected by the disruption. Air passengers Friday was meant to be one of the busiest days of the summer as families jetted off on holidays

After the chaos of Friday’s global IT outage – without doubt the worst the world has seen – questions are starting to be asked about who, if anyone, will pick up the bill. Somewhat surprisingly, particularly given its share price has doubled during the year and was trading on a stratospheric rating, shares of CrowdStrike,

CrowdStrike, the company at the heart of the IT outage being described as the worst the world has seen, has been a darling of Wall Street over the last year. So far in 2024, its share price has risen by 96%, making it one of the best-performing stocks on both the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the

The Bank of England has revealed disruption to some major financial transactions due to a “global payments issue”. In a statement, the Bank said its high value CHAPS service – which handles payments worth hundreds of billions of pounds each day – was affected and that had resulted in delays. They usually involve transactions between

A senior minister has told the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry that accountability for the scandal lies with the government, while the leader of the Liberal Democrats said he was lied to by senior executives at the company. Pat McFadden now serves as the most senior minister in the Cabinet Office, aside from the prime

The TV retail consultant known as ‘Mary Queen of Shops’ has called on the government to block a proposed London stock market listing by Shein. Mary Portas, who undertook a review of UK high streets for the coalition government led by David Cameron, was speaking as an online petition by the Say No to Shein

There has been no change to the rate of inflation which remained at 2%, the target rate for the Bank of England, according to official figures. It means prices in June rose at the same rate as in May, data from the Office for National Statistics showed. Money latest: Number of people claiming non-dom status

Elon Musk has said California’s new gender identification law was the “final straw” and that he is moving the SpaceX and X headquarters to Texas. The billionaire posted on X on Tuesday that he plans to move SpaceX from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas, and X to Austin from San Francisco. The new law, signed