Business

Ford’s UK boss has called on the government to provide consumer incentives of up to £5,000 per car to boost demand for electric vehicles and help the industry hit challenging climate targets. Lisa Brankin, chair of Ford UK & Ireland, told Sky News that direct support for consumers to purchase zero-emission vehicles is crucial if

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has admitted efforts to overhaul unreliable data on Britain’s jobs market may not be ready until 2027. The ONS confirmed it is now “unlikely” it will be able to introduce a revamped version of its Labour Force Survey (LFS) – which is the official measure of employment and unemployment

Jaguar wants “to be bold and disruptive” with its new electric car and redesign, the luxury vehicle maker’s managing director told Sky News. The British car maker sparked widespread controversy last month when it unveiled its rebrand ahead of becoming a fully electric brand. Speaking to Sky News business and economics correspondent Gurpreet Narwan, managing

Lawyers acting for British motorists who were charged inflated prices to deliver vehicles to the UK have agreed settlements worth £38m after a years-long battle alleging that they were ripped off by a cartel of shipping firms. Sky News understands that Mark McLaren, the class representative who brought the claim, and Scott+Scott, the US-based dispute

Typhoo Tea has been bought out of administration for £10.2m. Less than a week after administrators were appointed a buyer confirmed plans to purchase the 121-year-old business. Consumer goods wholesaler Supreme has announced it is to be the new owner. There will be no disruption to supply during the acquisition process, Supreme said. The brand

A mining group in which the financier Nick Candy is the largest shareholder is poised to swoop on a London-listed gold explorer to create an enlarged group worth more than £150m. Sky News has learnt that Metals Exploration, which is also quoted on the junior AIM market, is close to agreeing a cash-and-stock deal to

People from all parts of the UK, representing all age groups including a significant majority of Labour voters, believe the rate of inflation will increase in the next year across a range of categories, from bills and shopping to going out. Almost three quarters (71%) of those surveyed between 22 and 25 November expect the

HSBC Holdings, one of Britain’s biggest high street banks and Europe’s largest lender by market value, is preparing to kick off a hunt for its next chairman. Sky News has learnt that HSBC’s board has appointed headhunters to orchestrate the recruitment of a successor to Mark Tucker, who has held the post since 2017. City

The owner of the UK’s largest natural gas storage site has warned of depleted stocks by the end of winter due to early cold weather and a lack of wind power. Centrica, which operates the Rough facility in the North Sea, said stocks could be lower compared to previous years due to higher demand. It

Around half the UK’s mortgage holders face paying higher rates over the next three years, the Bank of England has warned, while sounding alarm over the potential impact of Donald Trump’s looming return to the White House. Its latest financial stability report – released twice a year – showed 4.4 million homes were set to

Marks & Spencer (M&S) and the owner of B&Q have expressed an interest in taking over dozens of stores operated by Homebase, the DIY chain which fell into administration this month. Sky News has learnt M&S and Kingfisher are among the retailers which are circling the remaining Homebase estate of close to 50 outlets, ahead

UK car production has slowed, according to industry figures, in the latest sign of a struggling sector. For the eighth month in a row UK car manufacturing fell, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). October saw 15.3% fewer cars roll off factory lines than the same month a year

Typhoo Tea has entered administration but a buyer could already be poised to take over the struggling firm. Administrators were appointed on Wednesday to the more than 100-year-old tea brand but a potential buyer has already emerged. Consumer goods wholesaler Supreme announced its takeover discussions were “at an advanced stage” but cautioned “there can be

Britain’s biggest airports are joining the growing private sector backlash against Rachel Reeves’s budget, warning that a £1bn business rates bill for the industry will trigger the cancellation of routes to and from the UK and higher costs for passengers. Sky News has obtained a draft letter from Airports UK, which represents more than 50

The closure of Vauxhall’s Luton van plant is a car crash for the 1,100 workers who could lose their jobs and threatens to trigger a pile-up for a government facing acute pressure from manufacturers over its plans to transition to an electric-only future. Stellantis, Vauxhall’s parent company which also owns Citroen, Fiat and Peugeot, has

Vauxhall will close its Luton plant in April, the parent company Stellantis announced. More than 1,100 jobs at the van-making factory are at risk, but Stellantis said it is hoping to transfer “hundreds” of jobs to the group’s Vauxhall site in Ellesmere Port. It is now in consultation with unions and employees over the proposals,

The trend of shop prices falling may be reversing as businesses face higher costs, according to industry data. The pace of price drops slowed this month, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). November was the first time in 17 months that the inflation rate was higher than a month earlier. While shop

Barclays has been fined £40m over capital raising that averted its need for taxpayer aid during the 2008 financial crisis. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that the bank should have disclosed more details to the stock market about the £11.8bn in funding, from Qatari and other sovereign investors, that it had previously described as

Tax rises announced during the recent budget will hit businesses rather than encourage growth, the head of one of the UK’s most prominent business groups will warn on Monday. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has joined a choir of voices opposing Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s fiscal measures, which the Labour Party claims are needed to

The break-up of one of Europe’s biggest classified advertising groups will continue this week with the €500m-plus (£414m) sale of Distilled, a major player in the Irish online ad market. Sky News has learnt that Adevinta, which was previously listed in Oslo and was taken private by Blackstone and Permira, the private equity firms, a