Business

The UK recorded its second largest fall in real wage growth since records began in 2001 during October and the unemployment rate rose, according to new official jobs figures which also highlight the growing impact of strikes on the economy. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that wage growth was 4.2% weaker when the

Rail strikes will go ahead this week after union members voted to reject an offer from Network Rail. Members of the RMT union will walk out on 13, 14 and 16 and 17 December. More strikes are planned from 6pm on Christmas Eve to 5.59am on 27 December. It was expected that the offer would

The economy returned to growth in October, according to early official figures which experts suggest could be the last to show expansion for some time. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported growth of 0.5% – following a contraction of 0.6% in September which was largely put down to disruption to usual activity because of

Troops are being trained to drive ambulances ahead of strikes as the government holds emergency COBRA meetings to limit disruption while 10 different industries go on strike this week. Over the weekend, government sources said a decision had not yet been made to put in a formal request to the Ministry of Defence but said

Britain’s biggest retailer is preparing to kick off a search for a new chairman, firing the starting gun on a race to fill one of the FTSE-100’s most prestigious boardroom posts. Sky News has learnt that Tesco is drawing up plans to begin identifying a replacement for John Allan, who will step down in 2024.

It can feel like all the money is flying straight out of your bank account this month, but payday isn’t quite as far away as you may think. There is also a range of extra benefits available in December which could ease some pressures amid the cost of living crisis. Here are some key money

The cost of antibiotics needed to treat Strep A has skyrocketed – as industry professionals claim prices have been hiked up to take advantage of “unprecedented” demand. Multiple pharmacies have warned they cannot obtain the necessary medications to treat Strep A as a 16th child died in Sussex with a suspected infection on Friday –

Depending on your point of view, Jeremy Hunt’s proposed reform of financial regulations represents a potentially significant boost to the competitiveness of the UK’s financial services sector or a potentially dangerous watering-down of rules put in place to prevent a re-run of the financial crisis. The truth, as ever, is that it is probably somewhere

US regulators have filed a complaint aimed at stopping Microsoft’s planned $69bn (£50bn) takeover of Call of Duty games maker Activision Blizzard. Microsoft, which owns Xbox, said in January that it had agreed an all-cash deal – the biggest in the gaming sector to date. But regulators globally, including in the UK, have taken great

A striking Royal Mail worker has voiced fears up to 25,000 staff could be sacked and new working conditions imposed on those left after the core Christmas season has finished. The man, who usually delivers letters and parcels in the London area and is being identified as ‘Derek’ because he wished to remain anonymous, was

The chances are you haven’t heard of the BBL pipeline. It’s a 235km steel tube which runs under the North Sea between Balgzand in the northern tip of the Netherlands and Bacton in Great Britain. It’s one of those bits of innocuous infrastructure which, most of the time, no-one except energy analysts pay all that

Motorists should not expect to see a return of supermarkets using cheap fuel to lure in shoppers, an industry source has told Sky News. They spoke out after weeks of criticism from motoring groups and fuel price campaigners that supermarket petrol stations are failing to reflect plunging wholesale fuel prices. Data supplied by the AA

The government has U-turned over its ban on onshore wind by saying turbines could be installed if the projects gain the support of local communities. The Department for Levelling Up has launched a consultation to explore how councils can “demonstrate local support and respond to views of their communities when considering onshore wind development in

The price of own-brand and budget products in supermarkets has been rising far faster than premium and branded items during the cost of living crisis, new figures suggest. Which? tracked tens of thousands of products across eight major supermarkets – and while budget ranges had surged by as much as 18%, the price of premium

Rishi Sunak will speak to his cabinet about rail strikes today after a union announced days of extra strikes over Christmas in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. On Monday, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) confirmed it would go ahead with two 48-hour strikes next week and will also walk out

Union leaders have rejected revised offers to end industrial action on the railways – and announced more strikes over Christmas. RMT members at Network Rail are being urged by union bosses to reject new pay proposals and proceed with walkouts on 13-14 and 16-17 December. The RMT has also announced further strike action from 6pm

Many pubs and breweries across the UK will be forced to shut their doors for good unless they receive further energy support, industry bosses have warned. In a new report by Frontier Economics, produced for the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), calculations showed energy bills returning to their regular rate after the government’s bill relief

The RMT has rejected an offer from train operators aimed at preventing strikes over the Christmas period, the union has announced. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said its proposed framework would have supported pay increases of up to 8%, covering 2022 and 2023 pay awards, while delivering much-needed reforms. But the RMT, led by secretary

Amazon is planning to resume multimillion dollar advertising on Twitter, according to reports. The move will see Amazon ply about $100m (£81.3m) per year into the platform, now owned by Elon Musk, according to Reuters news agency, citing a tweet from the tech blog Platformer. The tweet by a Platformer reporter said the company’s return

McLaren Group, the supercar manufacturer and Formula One team-owner, is in talks to raise hundreds of millions of pounds in new funding aimed at steering the British-based company into the electric vehicle era. Sky News has learnt that McLaren has opened talks with existing shareholders including the sovereign wealth funds of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia