Business

A string of banks and building societies are likely to follow the UK’s largest lender in cutting mortgage rates in the coming weeks, experts have said. It comes after Halifax reduced its rates by up to 0.83% on Tuesday, including a two-year deal of 4.68% with a £999 fee. Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Halifax,

Two of the world’s largest container ship operators have extended diversions from the Red Sea following an attack on a vessel at the weekend that has been blamed for a renewed oil price volatility. Maersk had suspended, on Sunday, sailings near or via the Suez Canal after one of its giant carriers, the Maersk Hangzou,

More than 230 independent vape shops opened across the UK last year, new figures have revealed. It represents a sharp increase from the 61 new stores which opened in 2022, and a net fall of 23 in 2021, according to a survey of retail areas by the Local Data Company (LDC). The rise comes amid

Philip Jansen, the outgoing BT Group boss, has been approached about becoming the next chairman of WPP, the FTSE-100 marketing services giant. Sky News has learnt that Mr Jansen, who is to step down from the telecoms company in the spring, is one of a number of prospective candidates to have been sounded out in

A British buyout firm is hoping to triumph in a two-way battle for Princes Foods, one of Britain’s biggest tinned produce manufacturers. Sky News understands that Epiris wants to secure a deal to buy Princes within days. Epiris has been bidding against Italy’s Newlat in recent weeks, with both said to remain in the running.

If you crack open a bottle of something – be it wine, water or soft drinks – over the festive season, there’s a good chance the glass came from the Encirc factory in Cheshire. Here, on the banks of the River Mersey, you will find one of the world’s largest glass factories. They take sand

Campaigners say hundreds of neglected historic buildings across the UK should be put to new uses to help meet the country’s net zero emissions targets. Eighteen buildings in Greater Manchester have been added to the Buildings at Risk register run by the campaign group SAVE Britain’s Heritage. They join more than 1,000 buildings nationwide which

The finance chief of The Daily Telegraph’s parent company is to leave amid a government-commissioned probe into the newspaper’s takeover by a state-backed Abu Dhabi investment vehicle. Sky News has learnt that Cormac O’Shea, who has been Telegraph Media Group’s (TMG) chief financial officer since the autumn of 2021, is likely to step down in

The cost of shipping goods has again grown significantly as freight giants continue to avoid the key Red Sea route and unions expand protections for mariners. Freight prices rose 80% in the past week, having already gone up nearly 50% the week before. The most widely used measure of freight cost, the Shanghai Containerised Freight

House prices are expected to remain static or fall again next year after a drop of 1.8% since the end of 2022, according to one of the UK’s largest mortgage lenders. Nationwide building society has said a rapid rebound in prices is “unlikely” in 2024 after the fall recorded from December 2022 to 2023. “It

House prices in Huddersfield grew at the fastest rate in the UK in the last year – despite a nationwide downturn – according to a report. MIt was one of the locations bucking the national trend, according to the Halifax House Price Trends report, as homes in the West Yorkshire town went for 8.7% more

Almost a third of people in the UK are living in mouldy or damp homes, according to new research by a campaign group. A survey by Warm This Winter, a coalition of 50 charities, has found 29% of people experience mould frequently or occasionally. That statistic includes an estimated 3.4 million people who are pregnant

Rishi Sunak has been accused of a “desperate” briefing on inheritance tax (IHT) after reports suggested it would be slashed ahead of the next election. It comes as the government confirmed the date of the next spring budget, which will be delivered on 6 March. With a general election looming next year, Mr Sunak will

How to sum up a year like 2023? Perhaps the best thing to say is that it was considerably less exciting – as far as the economics went – than 2022. And that’s probably no bad thing, because in 2022 much of what passed for excitement was extremely painful: the onset of a cost of

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has contacted fans directly for the first time since agreeing to buy a 25% stake in Manchester United, calling for “time and patience”. After more than a year of exploring so-called “strategic alternatives” – including investment or a sale – the club’s deeply unpopular owners, the Glazer family, reached a deal with

The Premier League has called a halt to talks about a landmark financial settlement with the rest of the professional football pyramid in a sign of deepening divisions about the scale and structure of the proposed deal. Sky News has learnt that Richard Masters notified the 20 top-flight clubs just before Christmas that the Premier

The UK’s second-richest person is committing £245m of his multibillion-pound fortune to Manchester United as part of a deal to acquire a 25% stake. Fans who are disillusioned by the club’s direction under the polarising Glazer family will be hoping Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a lifelong Manchester United fan, will help both on and off the

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a 25% stake in Manchester United Football Club will be announced today, 13 months after the launch of a review initiated by the Glazer family. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Sport will take control of the football side of the club. This breaking news story is being updated and more details

A $1bn stake in one of the world’s largest oil pricing data businesses is close to changing hands in a deal that will cap a stellar end to the year for its owner. Sky News has learnt that Hg Capital has agreed to offload its 24% shareholding in Argus Media in a transaction that is

A US-based investment firm is to inject hundreds of millions of pounds into the AA, the breakdown recovery service, nearly three years after it delisted from the London Stock Exchange. Sky News has learnt that Stonepeak, which specialises in infrastructure and related deals, is close to agreeing the details of a £450m into the company