Business

The business secretary will next week hold talks with dozens of private sector bosses as the government contends with a significant corporate backlash to Labour’s first fiscal event in nearly 15 years. Sky News has learnt that executives have been invited to join a conference call on Monday with Jonathan Reynolds, in what will represent

The cost of government borrowing has jumped, while UK stocks and the pound are up, as markets digest the news of billions in borrowing and tax rises announced in the budget. While there was no panic, there had been concern about the scale of borrowing and changes to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules. At the

First things first: don’t panic. What you need to know is this. The budget has not gone down well in financial markets. Indeed, it’s gone down about as badly as any budget in recent years, save for Liz Truss’s mini-budget. The pound is weaker. Government bond yields (essentially, the interest rate the exchequer pays on

The 2024 Autumn Budget in one word? Big. What we got from Rachel Reeves today was, in economic terms, a major departure from economic policy as we’ve known it in this country for the past decade-and-a-half. We got the single biggest increase in taxes in any fiscal event since 1993. The tax burden itself is

Fuel duty will remain frozen for another year as increasing the tax “would be the wrong choice for working people,” the chancellor has said. In her first budget, Rachel Reeves announced the duty will remain at its current rate, which varies for different fuel types. The headline rate on standard petrol and diesel currently stands

Budgets are all about numbers. In the coming 24 hours, we’ll be engulfed with all sorts of figures – about the state of the economy, about the size of the deficit, about the fiscal rules the new chancellor is planning to introduce in the coming months. But in fact most budgets, this one included, can

The minimum wage for those aged 21 years and over will rise by 6.7% to £12.21 – with pay for those aged 18 to 20 set to go up by 16.3% to £10 an hour. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed the increases ahead of Wednesday’s budget, and they will take effect from April 2025. The

Lowri Williams is struggling to cover her basic expenses. Earning a low income with very little support, she says she feels like she’s “living hand-to-mouth” and barely getting by. She’s one of a large group of people in low-income households who are caught in a precarious position, earning too little to comfortably support themselves, but

Rent has remained unaffordable in England, having been so since records began, the latest official figures show. The typical private sector renter, on a typical wage in England, paid a figure deemed to be unaffordable by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Renters on a median income – the midpoint between the highest and lowest

The Labour government’s first budget will embrace the “harsh light of fiscal reality” but “better days are ahead”, Sir Keir Starmer will say in a speech on Monday. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver the budget on Wednesday and setting the tone for the announcement, the prime minister will warn of “unprecedented” economic circumstances and the

A former chair of one of Britain’s biggest auditors is to step down as chairman of Interpath, the independent advisory firm, because of a potential conflict of interest involving its private equity backer’s choice of auditor. Sky News has learnt that Interpath, which has been engaged by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe on his cost-cutting campaign

Britain’s biggest energy retailers have told ministers that they will provide more than £500m of extra help for households as the government tries to deflect criticism over the winter fuel payments row. Sky News has learnt that EnergyUK, the industry body, is planning to make a joint announcement with the Department for Energy Security and

The Premier League is drawing up plans to present its clubs with fresh proposals for a financial settlement with the English Football League (EFL) as soon as next month. Sky News has learnt that a meeting of the top flight’s shareholders on November 22 is expected to include a discussion on a range of new

The amount employers pay in national insurance is set to rise in next week’s budget to raise money for public services, Sky News understands. Reports have suggested it could be increased by up to two percentage points and will – in part – be used to help fund the NHS. A government source told Sky

Mitie Group, the London-listed outsourcer, has kicked off a search for a successor to Derek Mapp, its long-serving chairman. Sky News has learnt that the FTSE-250 company is working with the search firm MWM Consulting on a hunt for Mr Mapp’s replacement. Potential candidates have started being sounded out in the last few weeks, according

The chancellor will need to spend an extra £20bn by the end of the parliament to maintain public investment at its present levels. Rachel Reeves has promised to unveil a “budget for investment” next week, while reversing the “years of underinvestment” overseen by the previous Conservative government. However, this would involve taking on billions of

Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct, House of Fraser and Flannels, has written to Boohoo ordering it to sack its chief executive and appoint Frasers founder Mike Ashley instead. Boohoo, the online fast fashion retailer, had ignored a private Frasers request to install Mr Ashley, according to an open letter from Frasers Group to

The owner of fashion chains Whistles and Phase Eight is in advanced talks to buy White Stuff, another prominent high street clothing retailer. Sky News has learnt that The Foschini Group (TFG), the South African-based retailer, is close to concluding a deal to acquire White Stuff and invest in its future expansion. Sources said a

Folkestone has been drawing in crowds in recent years with regeneration and private developments transforming parts of this port town on the Kent coast. But many residents will tell you that the fabric of this community is being torn apart. Local services are deteriorating and have been for some time. Leisure centres have shut down

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its projection for UK growth this year by 0.4% to 1.1% – the largest upward revision for any advanced economy. In a boost to Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she prepares to travel to Washington for the IMF’s annual meeting this week, its latest world economic outlook predicts strengthening