Business

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.

It was advertised as “the best job in the world” – beer tasting for a brewery in Northern Ireland – but the prospective employers did not anticipate 2,500 applicants. The offer of free beer, chips and a taxi home attracted global interest, but only a tiny proportion of the population has the genetic ability to

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

Apple has won the right to import two of its most popular smartwatches into the United States, after the appeals court paused a previous ban on imports. The tech giant was ordered in October to stop importing and selling Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches, following a complaint from medical-monitoring technology company Masimo that it

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

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

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

The calls grew louder from Manchester United fans: “Full sale now.” It was more than an aspiration. The Glazers fed the belief their ownership could be ending when announcing in November last year that “strategic alternatives” were being explored. Instead, control is only being diminished. Just 25% of the New York Stock Exchange-listed club is

The British economy increasingly resembles those sepia-toned clips of early American aeronauts trying and failing to get off the ground. Typically these hapless pioneers race along a harbour wall, strapped to a homemade contraption informed more by the spirit of optimism than a realistic grasp of physics. With hand-cranked mechanical wings clanking, they race towards

The UK economy has performed worse than previously thought and below the expectations of economists, new official figures show, meaning the country has taken the first step towards recession. There’s been a downward revision to a key measure of economic growth, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Friday morning. Rather than remaining stagnant,

The Home Office has rowed back on plans to increase the salary threshold for family members of migrants in the UK following a backlash Home Secretary James Cleverly told the Commons earlier this month that the threshold for a family visa would rise from £18,600 to £38,700 by “next spring” in a bid to reduce

Government borrowing and debt grew in November, official figures showed, casting doubt on the likelihood of one of the prime minister’s key pledges. In the financial year, from April up to last month, borrowing grew to £116.4bn. That’s the second highest since records began in 1993 and an increase of £24.4bn on the same period

The cost of shipping goods has increased by 45% in the past week as major companies paused activity in the Red Sea global supply artery and chose diversions that can add an extra two weeks to journey times. The most widely used measure of freight cost, the Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI), rose by almost

Spring energy bills are projected to ease as energy markets stabilise, according to a closely-watched forecast. Energy bills in the three months from April to June are projected to fall 16% to £1,660 a year for the average user, according to research firm Cornwall Insight. It’s a £268 drop from the energy cap from next

The rate of price rises significantly slowed again in November to another two year low, official figures show. Inflation stood at 3.9% last month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a dramatic fall from the 4.6% recorded a month earlier as price increases slowed in transport, recreation and culture, and food. Economists polled

Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund is gaining full ownership of McLaren Group, one of the most revered names in British premium manufacturing, as part of long-term plans to secure a partnership with a global industry giant. Sky News has learnt that Mumtalakat, the Gulf state’s investment fund, is on the brink of a deal with McLaren’s

Shipping companies have cautiously welcomed the announcement of a US-led multinational naval force to fend off Red Sea attacks, but are still re-routing vessels as the line of impacted crafts grows. The world’s second-largest shipping company, Maersk, said it’s “very positive” to have joint efforts on maritime security, but it needs to see more detail

Behind almost every purchase you make, from Christmas lights to a new car, there is a ship. Almost everything we buy, use, wear, and much of what we eat, spends at least some of its life in a container at sea. These giant craft are the lifeblood of the global economy, circumnavigating the globe to

The government has announced it will put £250m into Transport for London (TfL) next year to invest in new projects. Among the plans, the capital’s public transport network is expected to roll out new trains on the Piccadilly Line – although they won’t be introduced to the network until 2025. TfL welcomed the funding, saying

The owners of Edinburgh Airport have picked bankers to launch an auction next year that could draw bids of £2.5bn. Sky News has learnt that Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) has hired HSBC and JP Morgan to orchestrate a sale of the Scottish capital’s aviation hub. The process, which is expected to get underway at some

The high street billionaire Mike Ashley is in talks to buy Matchesfashion, the luxury clothing site, in a deal that would crystallise heavy losses for Apax Partners, its private equity backer since 2017. Sky News has learnt that Mr Ashley’s Frasers Group is in detailed negotiations about a deal that could see it take control

Two of the world’s biggest shipping firms have suspended all journeys through the Red Sea following a surge of recent attacks on vessels. Danish giant Maersk said it would “pause” all container shipments until further notice after a near-miss involving its Maersk Gibraltar ship on Thursday. Meanwhile, German firm Hapag-Lloyd said it was also halting

NatWest says an external review has found no evidence of political or other such discrimination in the closure of customer accounts at its Coutts arm, amid the Nigel Farage debanking row. The bank, which commissioned the law firm Travers Smith to investigate the affair, said 84 customer account closures – including all relevant PEP (politically