Business

British Airways (BA) workers have suspended a strike that had been planned at Heathrow during the school summer holidays after receiving a “vastly improved” pay offer from the airline. After extensive negotiations, the Unite and GMB unions said an agreement was reached and members involved in the dispute would now vote on the proposed offer.

Which? says it has reported easyJet to the Civil Aviation Authority, asking the regulator to investigate the airline’s treatment of passengers who have their flights cancelled. The consumer watchdog said it had heard from passengers who were not told about their legal right to hundreds of pounds in compensation and the chance to be re-routed

British Airways (BA) has announced it will cut a further 10,300 short-haul flights until the end of October. The airline, among the worst hit by post-pandemic staff shortages that have resulted in widespread disruption for passengers this year, made the announcement just a day after another wave of cancellations was revealed in a bid to

The amount you can earn before having to pay national insurance (NI) has been raised from today, a move Boris Johnson has described as the “biggest tax cut in a decade” to help with the rising cost of living. The government says 30 million people will benefit to the tune of £6bn collectively from the

British Airways (BA) has moved again to build greater resilience in its flying schedules by cancelling additional flights during the key summer holiday season. The airline, one of the worst affected by post-pandemic staff shortages this year, said it was taking further “pre-emptive” action to prevent disruption for passengers. It follows a torrid reopening of

The Premier League is asking clubs to support phasing out shirt sponsorship by gambling companies in a last-ditch effort to avert a government-imposed ban. Sky News has learnt that the Premier League contacted clubs on Monday to propose a resolution that would see betting companies disappear from teams’ shirts within the next three years. Under

Labour shortages on British farms have left tonnes of food unpicked, costing millions of pounds and pushing food inflation as high as 20% at the farm gate, the agriculture industry has told Sky News. Farmers say this year’s harvest has been hit by a shortfall in the overall number of seasonal worker visas granted by the

A family-run industrial group is to change hands for £400m, giving a much-needed boost to a deals market slowing down amid growing economic anxiety. Sky News has learnt that Triton Partners is on the verge of an agreement to acquire O’Connor Utilities Group, which is based in Manchester. An industry source said a deal could

Homeowners could soon be taking out 50-year mortgages to then be passed on to their children when they die, under new plans being considered by the government. The Japanese-style lending agreements could see people being able to buy a home with little or no expectation of completing mortgage repayments during their lifetime. Instead the property

The governor of the Bank of England is opposing plans drawn up by the Treasury that would allow ministers to overrule financial watchdogs on key areas of City regulation. Sky News has learnt that Andrew Bailey has expressed disquiet about a so-called ‘call-in power’ that will be included in the Financial Services and Markets Bill,

Tom Glick, a former executive at Manchester City FC’s parent company, is to take over the day-to-day running of Chelsea Football Club in the wake of its £2.5bn takeover. Sky News has learnt that Mr Glick’s appointment could be announced within days by Chelsea’s new owners, although it remained unclear on Friday whether he would

Klarna, the buy-now-pay-later credit provider, is trying to finalise a fresh capital injection likely to value it at less than $10bn – just 20% of its worth only two years ago. Sky News has learnt that the Swedish company has asked investors to commit in the coming days to a fundraising that is expected to

The Premier League has suggested phasing out front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling companies over the next few years but allow them to retain an indefinite presence on teams’ shirt-sleeves, under proposals presented to ministers. Sky News has learnt that English football’s top flight tabled the idea during negotiations with Whitehall in the last few weeks. One

Aston Martin has said it is considering multiple funding options following reports that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund was lining up a possible investment worth hundreds of millions of pounds. Responding to the reports, the luxury carmaker said that it was keeping all “funding options under review,” amid uncertainty around the company’s future. Aston Martin’s

Talks between Network Rail and the RMT have resumed with the union warning it will announce more strike dates if the rail bosses press ahead with a consultation on compulsory redundancies. The two sides met for the first time since a national strike last week against the backdrop of Friday’s deadline for Network Rail to

Thames Water is to tap shareholders for £1.5bn of new equity in an effort to accelerate its transformation plan, months after it was hit by the latest in a string of regulatory fines. Sky News has learnt that Britain’s biggest water utility is expected to announce on Thursday that its existing investors have agreed to

A two-year extension of tariffs on some foreign steel has been revealed by the government in a bid to protect domestic producers, despite pleas from manufacturers for help to grow imports because of a domestic steel shortage. International Trade Secretary told MPs “safeguards” would remain on 15 major categories of imported steel in total, because

Hilco, the specialist retail investor, is closing in on a takeover of Cath Kidston, the modern vintage brand recently put up for sale by the owner which bought it out of administration just two years ago. Sky News has learnt that Hilco, which has owned an array of prominent high street names over the last

The owner of Boots the Chemist has abandoned the sale of Britain’s biggest high street pharmacy chain amid torrid conditions in global debt-financing markets. Walgreens Boots Alliance confirmed on Tuesday afternoon a Sky News report that it had decided to retain ownership of Boots after an auction process lasting for several months. In a statement,

Four Seasons Health Care, one of Britain’s biggest care home operators, is putting the bulk of its operations up for sale three years after its holding companies fell into insolvency amid an impasse over its massive debt pile. Sky News has learnt that administrators to Four Seasons have appointed the property agent Christie’s to oversee