The wife of green energy entrepreneur Dale Vince has been awarded more than £40million by a High Court judge following their divorce. However, Mr Vince said his ex-wife emerged from their divorce with £12 million less than he gave her four years ago. The two men disputed how their money should be split at a … Read more
The UK’s benchmark stock index has hit a new record high. The FTSE 100 index of the most valuable companies on the London Stock Exchange closed at 8,505.69, breaking the record set last May. It had already surpassed its intraday high earlier on Friday, meaning it reached a never-before-seen high during trading hours. The weakening … Read more
There was a surprise contraction in retail sales in December, although this month is key for many retailers due to Christmas shopping, according to official figures. Retail sales fell by 0.3% last month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). No decline was expected, including a drop of 0.3%. Economists forecast sales growth of … Read more
City watchdog considers formal proposal to increase Britain’s £100 contactless spending limit as part of response to prime minister’s order for regulators to remove barriers to economic growth. Sky News has learned that the Financial Conduct Authority’s response to a Christmas Eve letter from Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds … Read more
Train passengers stopped without a ticket should receive a ‘yellow card’ warning instead of a fine for a first offence, a watchdog has said. Transport Focus has urged all UK operators to introduce the system to “make things fairer for everyone”. The suggestion comes after media reports highlighted a number of cases in which passengers … Read more
The British economy almost returned to growth in November after two months of contraction, according to the latest official figures. Gross domestic product (GDP), the standard measure of the value of an economy and everything it produces, increased by 0.1%, according to data from the Office for National Statistics. Growth of 0.2% was forecast. Money … Read more
Nadhim Zahawi, the former chancellor, is joining an Israeli medical diagnostics group that is trying to transform the way infectious diseases are detected and managed. Sky News understands that Mr. Zahawiwho has amassed a portfolio of roles since leaving frontline politics, will be named chairman of the Ador Diagnostics advisory board on Thursday. His appointment … Read more
Thousands of people have signed a petition asking the world’s largest advertising agency, WPP, to repeal a new rule requiring employees to come into the office four days a week. Mark Read, the chief executive of the group which employs 111,000 people worldwide, wrote in a January 7 memo: “From the beginning of April this … Read more
Inflation unexpectedly fell to 2.5% after two months of rising, according to official figures. This means prices are still rising, but at a slower rate than before, according to December data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Economists expected this figure to remain at 2.6%, the level recorded in November. Inflation is still above … Read more
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been accused of refusing to “face up to her own failures” by “flying to Beijing” during a week of market turmoil. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride accused the chancellor of dodging tough questions as “the government lost control of the economy” while Ms Reeves visited China last week with a delegation including … Read more