Business

The average rent has hit a record high outside London and stood at an average of £1,162 per calendar month in the three months between July and September. Rent prices in London had their greatest ever annual increase, rising 16.1% to an average of £2,343 a month during the period, according to an analysis of

There has been a positive market reaction to the resignation of Liz Truss after just 44 days in office, following the fierce backlash against her economic plan and humiliating climbdown. News that the prime minister was to make a Downing Street statement sparked a rally for sterling versus the dollar – leaving the UK currency

More rail strikes have been announced for 3 and 5 November – this time involving 14 train operating companies. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has announced the strikes at the train operating companies – which run the trains – on the same days as other members of the union are planning walk outs

The rate of inflation rose to 10.1% in September, according to official figures, as the economy reels from the effects of rising prices and the fallout from the mini-budget. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the consumer prices index (CPI) measure rose from an annual rate of 9.9% in August to match the recent

Rail workers’ union RMT has announced more strikes next month following what it said was a pay offer “U-turn” from Network Rail. Three days of strike action are set to take place on 3, 5 and 7 November. Negotiations had been under way between the union and the rail operator. The Railway, Maritime and Transport

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has been ordered by the UK competition regulator to sell the GIF library Giphy. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the ruling was a “final decision”. The move followed a protracted effort by Meta to overturn a CMA ruling last year that the takeover, which completed in

Nearly all the tax cuts announced in the government’s mini-budget are being reversed – here are seven things you need to know about the U-turn. 1. Let’s start with the fact that actually it wasn’t just a U-turn. It was more. Not only did it reverse the majority of policies in the mini-budget, it went

Financial markets have reacted positively to the new chancellor’s cull of more costly measures in his predecessor’s disastrous mini-budget. Jeremy Hunt revealed in a televised statement that he would no longer be proceeding with almost all the controversial package, including the reduction in the basic rate of income tax from 20% to 19% from next

Unions are close to organising co-ordinated strike action “very soon” following the “horror story” of the past few weeks, a union boss has told Sky News. Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, accused the government of “aiding and abetting” employers earning millions in profits but not handing that to workers. She confirmed Unite, the UK’s

The government is pressing ahead to introduce legislation which will require transport workers to run a minimum service when strikes are taking place. It comes after commuters have been plagued by months of travel chaos caused by industrial action by railway workers, who are calling for better pay, working conditions and job security. But trade

Interest rates will have to be raised higher than initially hoped in the face of inflationary pressures, the Bank of England (BoE) governor has suggested. Speaking at an International Monetary Fund event in Washington, Andrew Bailey also said there had been “a very clear and immediate meeting of minds” with new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on

So farewell, then, Trussonomics. The demise of the country’s second shortest-lived chancellor also brings with it the demise of the country’s shortest-lived economic movement. Liz Truss came into office promising to boost the country’s growth rate through a forensic combination of tax cuts, reforms to the country’s supply side (for which read: things like planning

The financial markets have responded negatively following Liz Truss’s announcement of a U-turn on corporation tax in a bid to reassure investors. As was widely predicted, the prime minister said she was abandoning the government’s commitment to drop the planned tax increase from 19% to 25% – even though it was a central plank of

Royal Mail has announced it will begin a process to make 5,000 to 6,000 roles redundant by August next year. The announcement, made in a trading update by the postal service’s parent company, has been blamed on industrial action taken by Royal Mail workers, delays in improving productivity and falling parcel volumes. A process of

The head of the International Monetary Fund has delivered a blunt condemnation of the UK government’s mini-budget – pointing out government and Bank of England policies should not be working against each other. Kristalina Georgieva was speaking at a news conference in Washington after the government’s mini-budget unleashed chaos in the markets when it was

As Liz Truss faces open revolt in her party over her planned tax cuts, her chancellor will today try to reassure the IMF that everything is under control. Ministers continue to be under pressure for the market chaos that erupted after the government announced its £45bn package of unfunded tax cuts last month. The prime

The chancellor’s mini-budget “complicated matters” for the Bank of England as it battled to bring down inflation, the International Monetary Fund’s chief economist has told Sky News. In an interview at the IMF’s annual meetings in Washington, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas warned the coming years would “not be very pleasant” for the global economy. He also said

The economy unexpectedly shrank in August, contracting by 0.3% on the previous month. The growth in July has also been revised downwards, from the previously recorded 0.2% to 0.1%. The Office for National Statistics released its latest reading on the UK’s performance as the government frets over the prospect of recession ahead, given the toll

The Bank of England has warned of “a material risk to UK financial stability” as it widened its programme to buy up government bonds. The move has been made as a result of “further significant repricing of UK government debt” in one pension-linked market, the Bank said. It added that it was “dysfunction” and the

The Bank of England’s governor has ruled out extending its bond-buying support for pension funds beyond Friday’s deadline, prompting a dramatic fall in the value of the pound. Andrew Bailey told an event in Washington that funds had “three days left… to get this done” after a series of interventions to support the “dysfunctional” market

Mortgages continued to become more expensive despite the number of products on the market gradually increasing. The average mortgage interest rate on a two-year fixed term mortgage is now 6.3%, according to data compiled by financial information company Moneyfacts. A similar rise has taken place in the average five year fixed term mortgage, which has

The Bank of England has announced it is doubling the value of UK government bonds it can buy up as it enters the final days of its emergency bond buying programme in an effort to support the pension market and allay fears of a cliff edge ending. The Bank has said it is ready to

A former boss of crisis-hit Wasps is spearheading a takeover bid for the Premiership Rugby club that could save it from the threat of relegation or extinction. Sky News has learnt that David Armstrong, who stepped down as Wasps’ chief executive in 2017, is working with Terminum Capital, an investment firm, on a bid to

Octopus Energy is close to clinching a takeover of stricken rival Bulb in a deal that will crystallise up to £4bn of losses for British taxpayers. Sky News has learnt that ministers at the Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have been told that a sale of Bulb’s 1.6m-strong customer

University graduates across the UK want to see higher starting salaries for first jobs amidst the cost of living crisis. New research by careers platform Bright Network, shared with Sky News, reveals students expect starting salaries to be over £30,000 – 25% more than the current national average starting salary. Due to the impact and

Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor, has ruled out tearing up the regime put in place to segregate high street lenders’ investment banking arms that was put in place after the 2008 financial crisis. Sky News has learnt that Mr Kwarteng told a gathering of industry chief executives this week that bank ring-fencing would not be scrapped

The pound’s value ebbed and flowed on Friday – supported by a Bank of England deputy governor’s vow to persist in the fight against inflation but later hammered as stronger than expected US jobs data lifted the dollar. Remarks by Sir Dave Ramsden, a member of the monetary policy committee (MPC) which sets Bank rate,

The number of company insolvencies in England and Wales hit its highest level for 13 years in the second quarter of the year, according to official figures. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded a total of 5,629 business failures between April and June. It was the highest quarterly number since the third quarter of

The latest information on the risks facing gas and electricity supplies suggests there is an increased risk of blackouts this winter – but they can be prevented. National Grid’s Electricity System Operator’s (ESO) updated report on the pressures facing power generators revealed contingency plans for three-hour blackouts in areas where gas-fuelled power falls short of

A measure of confidence in the UK’s creditworthiness has been slashed by another major ratings agency in the wake of the mini-budget, piling further pressure on the under-fire pound. Fitch revealed on Wednesday night that it had cut the outlook for its credit rating on UK government debt to “negative” from “stable”. It maintained its

Two million fewer barrels of oil are to be produced each day, equivalent to 2% of global supply, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and Russia have agreed. The move is an effort to increase prices in countries feeling the heat from high energy costs. Members Saudi Arabia and Russia have led the

The taxpayer support for household energy bills could cost up to £140bn in an “extreme” scenario, an energy market expert has warned. Cornwall Insight, which became a prominent voice in predicting levels for the energy price cap before it was replaced by the government’s energy price guarantee (EPG) this month, said its findings showed a

Elon Musk is planning to buy Twitter for his original offer price – and he’s hinted at his plans for social media. The world’s richest man is proposing to go ahead with purchasing the platform for $54.20 per share, a total value of $44bn (£38.4bn), following months of legal battles. After news of the deal’s