Business

The former head of a union for sub-postmasters has denied it became “too close” to the Post Office and was “flush with money”. George Thomson, formerly of the National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP), also denied lacking sympathy for those who were wrongfully convicted during the Post Office scandal, which occurred following faults in the organisation’s

Government borrowing was less than expected in May, new figures have revealed. Net borrowing – the difference between public sector spending and income – was £15bn, an increase of £0.8bn on the same time last year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Friday. The amount is below the £15.7bn forecast by the Office

More than £232m has been paid out in compensation to people affected by the now-scrapped northern leg of HS2, Sky News can reveal. Responses to our Freedom of Information requests show just shy of £550m has been spent so far on a range of government compensation schemes for both residents and businesses impacted by the

The Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) was never going to cut interest rates today. Not two weeks before a general election. Cutting the cost of borrowing would have been perceived as highly political, potentially offering support to the government, even though some Conservative politicians, such as the former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, sought

The Bank of England has held interest rates at 5.25% for the seventh time in a row. The decision to maintain the cost of borrowing comes despite official figures yesterday which revealed inflation had fallen to the Bank’s target of 2% for the first time in nearly three years. However, the move by its Monetary

A care home operator which once ranked among the largest in Britain is being put up for sale in a move expected to fetch about £300m. Sky News has learnt that Four Seasons Health Care Group has appointed CBRE, the property agent, to oversee an auction in the coming months. The process will be launched

Wall Street’s biggest bank is lifting Brussels’ bonus cap for its London-based staff, weeks after rival Goldman Sachs fired the starting gun on a post-Brexit era in industry pay. Sky News can reveal that JP Morgan Chase was in the process of notifying staff on Wednesday that it would preserve some elements of the remuneration

UK inflation has eased to 2% – increasing the prospect of an interest rate cut this summer. The consumer prices index (CPI) rate for the year to May was confirmed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday. The figure indicates that prices are still rising, but at the slowest pace since spring 2021.

There was “possibly a criminal conspiracy” at the Post Office, according to an independent forensic accountant drafted in to investigate the controversial Horizon accounting system. Ian Henderson, one of the two forensic accountants from Second Sight paid by Post Office (POL) to review sub-postmaster convictions involving Horizon in 2012, told the public inquiry into the

China may target the European Union’s pork producers in retaliation for EU tariffs on its electric cars. The world’s second largest economy revealed on Monday that it had launched an investigation into imports of pork for human consumption from the bloc. The Commerce ministry inquiry was in response to a complaint by Chinese pork producers

A party supplies retailer and distributor is teetering on the brink of administration after being hit by a downturn in consumer spending. Sky News understands that Wonder Group, which was previously known as Amscan, was on Monday preparing to file a notice of intention to appoint Interpath Advisory to handle an insolvency process. Sources said

One of London’s most prominent venture capital investors will this week change its name following the death and resignation of its two co-founders. Sky News understands that Hambro Perks, which counts a stake in What3Words, the location-mapping service, among its holdings, is to rebrand as Salica Investments. An announcement about the change of name will

The founders of Melrose Industries, one of Britain’s most prolific and lucrative investment groups, are preparing to list a new vehicle in London next month as they hunt a new wave of takeover targets. Sky News has learnt that Simon Peckham is spearheading the launch of Rosebank Industries, with talks under way to raise more

Alan Bates, the campaigner who highlighted the Post Office scandal, will be given a knighthood after being recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list. Other famous faces on the list include artist Tracey Emin and cyclist Mark Cavendish, who will be given a damehood and knighthood, respectively. Former prime minister Gordon Brown has received the

Sandwich maker Greencore, a major supplier to UK supermarkets, has recalled some of its products because of the risk of E.coli, the Food Standards Agency said. The products were recalled as a precaution just a week after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced there had been an outbreak of E.coli which left some people

Latitude Festival has dropped its sponsor, Barclays, after a number of musicians and comedians dropped out in protest over the bank’s ties to the Israel-Hamas war. Latitude Festival told Sky News: “Following discussion with artists, we have agreed with Barclays that they will step back from sponsorship of Latitude Festival”. Comedians Joanne McNally, Sophie Duker,

Tesla shareholders have approved Elon Musk’s $56bn (£44bn) pay package. The proposal passed despite opposition from some large institutional investors and proxy firms. Onstage at the annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Texas, the billionaire described himself as “pathologically optimistic”. “If I wasn’t optimistic this wouldn’t exist, this factory wouldn’t exist,” Musk said to resounding applause.

Demand in the housing market tailed off last month as hopes of a Bank of England rate cut faded, according to an industry report released just hours before a major housebuilder issued a profit warning. A monthly study by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) pointed to a drop in prices during May. At

Labour has promised its manifesto will have “wealth creation” at its heart, ahead of the document’s launch. Sir Keir Starmer will take to the stage in Manchester on Thursday in an effort to convince the public he has the right policies to earn the keys to Number 10. The Labour leader is expected to say

After a very strong start to 2024, during which the UK economy achieved its strongest growth for two years, things stalled again in April. That the economy flatlined during April was no surprise, though, given a couple of factors. One was the early timing of Easter, which will have led some consumer spending that would