Business

Labour’s rural problem has reared its head once more. This time, the government is facing down fierce opposition over changes to inheritance tax. Unless a breakthrough is achieved, Labour’s rural problem risks becoming everyone’s problem. Protesters showed no sign of backing down on Tuesday. Farmers from across rural Britain got up in the middle of

Small British businesses have stopped selling to Northern Ireland as well as Europe due to extra administrative hurdles posed by new EU customs rules coming into effect. Many small firms said they are unable to meet new requirements for paperwork and numbering of each product as well as the need to have an “authorised representative”

A $10bn-plus takeover bid for one of America’s biggest pharmacy chains is set to trigger a fresh auction of Boots the Chemist after a string of aborted attempts to sell the British retail giant. Sky News understands that Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm, is expected to seek separate ownership for Boots if it succeeds

Thames Water has revealed a 40% spike in sewage spills while warning that a looming decision on what it can charge customers is “fundamental to our future”. The UK’s biggest supplier, which has been battling to avert the prospect of a special administration amid a massive debt pile, has consistently argued that the regulator’s ruling

An attempt by Rupert Murdoch to change who controls the future of his media empire has been blocked, according to reports in The New York Times. The newspaper claims a sealed court document accuses the 93-year-old of acting in “bad faith” by attempting to amend his family trust to benefit his eldest son, Lachlan. Currently,

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she is “overwhelmed” by the response to the UK’s first attendance at an EU finance ministers’ meeting since Brexit. No negotiations nor demands were made at this point, Ms Reeves said, but they will start in the new year. UK government red lines on Brexit were reiterated – that there

A London-listed marketing specialist backed by Lord Ashcroft, the former Conservative Party treasurer, will this week announce the purchase of a key digital partner to sporting properties including the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup. Sky News has learnt that Brave Bison, which trades on the junior AIM exchange and has a market capitalisation of just

Harland & Wolff (H&W), the shipyard-owner which built the Titanic, is closing on a government-backed rescue deal with a Spanish shipping industry group. Sky News can reveal that Navantia has won approval from Downing Street to acquire H&W’s four UK shipyards in a transaction which could be formally agreed as early as next week. If

TikTok has lost an appeal against plans to ban the video-sharing app in the US. The social media platform had argued the proposal was a breach of the US First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech. TikTok pushed to overturn a law that could lead to its ban in a few months. However, the petition

Fourteen new trains are to be built at a Hitachi plant in County Durham, securing hundreds of jobs. The plan safeguards 700 jobs with a £500m investment for the Newton Aycliffe site. The plant and its workers had faced an uncertain future with an upcoming gap in its order book before work begins on HS2

Dale Vince, the activist and entrepreneur, has accused the owners of The Guardian of telling “a complete untruth” about his interest in taking control of The Observer. Speaking to Sky News, Mr Vince, who has extensive interests in green energy and owns Forest Green Rovers Football Club, said his discussions with Guardian Media Group (GMG)

The owner of The Guardian is pressing ahead with the sale of the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper to a fledgling digital media company, just hours after scores of journalists went on strike in protest at the deal. Guardian Media Group (GMG) and its parent, the Scott Trust, confirmed on Friday that the sale of The

The UK’s biggest water provider has received another bid, despite having declared itself “uninvestable”. The latest bid for Thames Water came from infrastructure investor Covalis Capital, which would bring in French utility Suez, the firm confirmed on Friday morning. If agreed, the supplier could be broken into smaller businesses, the Financial Times reported, and Suez

Across Europe, car companies are cutting jobs and shutting factories – to the extent that some question their very existence. So it’s worth asking the question: what’s gone wrong with Europe (and for that matter America’s) car industry? While some will reach for their own pet conclusions (Brexit! Electric vehicle deadlines! Government regulations!) in practice

Thames Water’s largest creditor group has failed to secure a veto over whether a £3bn emergency funding injection is used to settle regulatory fines imposed for a string of environmental and performance failings. Sky News can reveal that a clause stipulating that the company’s A lenders – which account for well over £10bn of the

One of Britain’s biggest parcel carriers has been hit by a capacity crisis at the start of the crunch festive trading period, forcing it to urge key customers to divert business to rival delivery firms. Sky News has learnt that Yodel, which was due to recruit thousands of seasonal workers to help it deal with

The reaction of businesses to the budget is the “biggest issue” facing the Bank of England, according to its governor who is also contemplating the potential impact of Donald Trump’s looming return to the White House. Andrew Bailey told an event that the future was clouded by domestic and global “uncertainty”, making it difficult to

Ford’s UK boss has called on the government to provide consumer incentives of up to £5,000 per car to boost demand for electric vehicles and help the industry hit challenging climate targets. Lisa Brankin, chair of Ford UK & Ireland, told Sky News that direct support for consumers to purchase zero-emission vehicles is crucial if

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has admitted efforts to overhaul unreliable data on Britain’s jobs market may not be ready until 2027. The ONS confirmed it is now “unlikely” it will be able to introduce a revamped version of its Labour Force Survey (LFS) – which is the official measure of employment and unemployment

Jaguar wants “to be bold and disruptive” with its new electric car and redesign, the luxury vehicle maker’s managing director told Sky News. The British car maker sparked widespread controversy last month when it unveiled its rebrand ahead of becoming a fully electric brand. Speaking to Sky News business and economics correspondent Gurpreet Narwan, managing