Business

Two adverts from HSBC publicising its role in the green transition have been banned for omitting information about its own contribution to carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions. The posters, seen on bus stops in Bristol and London in October 2021, showed images of waves crashing on a shore and tree growth rings with the

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

The head of Britain’s electricity and gas systems’ operator has told households to prepare for blackouts between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays during “really, really cold” days in January and February if gas imports are reduced. John Pettigrew, the National Grid chief, said blackouts would have to be imposed during the “deepest darkest evenings” in

The pound has edged higher against the dollar in anticipation of a key statement from the new chancellor tasked with sorting out the fallout from the government’s mini-budget. Sterling had fallen to a record low against the dollar at the end of September, after the short-lived then chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled the biggest programme of

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

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 Bank of England has purchased £19.3bn of UK government bonds and concluded part of its extraordinary intervention to prevent a collapse in the pensions industry. Just five days after the former chancellor unveiled his mini-budget on 23 September, the Bank took unprecedented action to purchase long-dated UK government bonds, known as gilts, that are

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

The Bank of England is set to stop its government bond buying scheme today after attempting to reassure the UK’s financial markets. The Bank launched the unprecedented intervention after the chancellor’s mini-budget caused chaos within the markets, as well as a potential pension pots crisis. It promised to buy up to £65bn in UK government

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

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 economic credibility of the government has come under siege on financial markets since last month’s tax-cutting mini-budget. While the value of the pound hit a new record low against the dollar of $1.03 in the days following the chancellor’s statement to MPs, which contained no details on how it would all be paid for,

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted a tough 2023 as it cut growth predictions and forecast economic contraction in a third of the world. “The worst is yet to come,” the global financial institution’s World Economic Outlook report said. “For many people 2023 will feel like a recession,” it added. A downward revision of

This is starting to look a little… unnerving. This morning the Bank of England tweaked its emergency intervention into the government bond (gilts) market for a second successive day. The details are somewhat arcane: yesterday it doubled the amount it was offering to buy each day; today it said it would widen the stock of

The acquisition by Morrisons of McColl’s, one of Britain’s biggest convenience store chains, has edged closer to being given the go-ahead by the competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority has said it is “minded to accept” proposals from the retailers. A total of 28 McColl’s stores could be offloaded as part of the proposals

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 said it was now ready to

Nearly one in seven Britons experience anxiety about the week ahead, dubbed the “Sunday scaries”, with work stress the most common trigger, according to new figures. Research by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities also found 53% of people feel anxious about working in person, compared to 6% of people who feel anxious about