Business

NatWest Group is to hand its chief executive a potential multimillion pound pay boost as it returns to full private ownership after nearly 17 years in state hands. Sky News has learnt that the chair of the bank’s remuneration committee, Lena Wilson, is consulting leading institutional shareholders about an overhaul of its boardroom pay policy.

Tube and rail fares in London will go up by 4.6% from next March, the capital’s mayor has said. The hike matches the rise in regulated train fares for England’s mainline railway. From 2 March, Transport for London’s (TfL) daily caps will increase by 40p-70p, depending on what zones are travelled through. Labour mayor Sadiq

The economy remained in a reverse gear during October, according to official figures covering the month ahead of the government’s first budget. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said output fell 0.1% following the 0.1% decline recorded for the previous month. The figures showed zero growth in the powerhouse services sector, with manufacturing and construction

The Daily Telegraph’s publisher is to hand hundreds of staff a £500 bonus this month as uncertainty over its ownership looks set to stretch into a third calendar year. Sky News has seen an email sent on Thursday by Anna Jones, Telegraph Media Group’s chief executive, in which she told employees that they would receive

Currys has warned of a drop in consumer sentiment over the past six months, with the chain plotting price rises to help offset the impact of the new Labour government’s first budget. Alex Baldock, the retailer’s chief executive, told reporters that progress in tackling financial pressures on households had “stalled in recent months”. He noted

Labour’s rural problem has reared its head once more. This time, the government is facing down fierce opposition over changes to inheritance tax. Unless a breakthrough is achieved, Labour’s rural problem risks becoming everyone’s problem. Protesters showed no sign of backing down on Tuesday. Farmers from across rural Britain got up in the middle of

Two of Britain’s biggest high street banks have quit a body dedicated to enhancing industry lending practices, sparking a furious row and casting doubt over its future. Sky News has learnt that HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group have terminated their membership of the Lending Standards Board (LSB). Their resignations – alongside that of Santander UK

A $10bn-plus takeover bid for one of America’s biggest pharmacy chains is set to trigger a fresh auction of Boots the Chemist after a string of aborted attempts to sell the British retail giant. Sky News understands that Sycamore Partners, the private equity firm, is expected to seek separate ownership for Boots if it succeeds

Thames Water has revealed a 40% spike in sewage spills while warning that a looming decision on what it can charge customers is “fundamental to our future”. The UK’s biggest supplier, which has been battling to avert the prospect of a special administration amid a massive debt pile, has consistently argued that the regulator’s ruling

Bankers are to review state spending as part of a push to bring the private sector “into the heart of government”. External oversight is to be incorporated into the first line-by-line spending review of government departments in 17 years. Under plans announced by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves “every pound” of government spending will be interrogated

Demand for new staff among businesses slumped to levels seen in 2020 in the wake of last month’s budget, according to a survey of major recruitment consultants. A monthly report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) trade body and accountants KPMG suggested that the tax raid on firms announced by chancellor Rachel Reeves on

A London-listed marketing specialist backed by Lord Ashcroft, the former Conservative Party treasurer, will this week announce the purchase of a key digital partner to sporting properties including the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup. Sky News has learnt that Brave Bison, which trades on the junior AIM exchange and has a market capitalisation of just

Harland & Wolff (H&W), the shipyard-owner which built the Titanic, is closing on a government-backed rescue deal with a Spanish shipping industry group. Sky News can reveal that Navantia has won approval from Downing Street to acquire H&W’s four UK shipyards in a transaction which could be formally agreed as early as next week. If

TikTok has lost an appeal against plans to ban the video-sharing app in the US. The social media platform had argued the proposal was a breach of the US First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech. TikTok pushed to overturn a law that could lead to its ban in a few months. However, the petition

Fourteen new trains are to be built at a Hitachi plant in County Durham, securing hundreds of jobs. The plan safeguards 700 jobs with a £500m investment for the Newton Aycliffe site. The plant and its workers had faced an uncertain future with an upcoming gap in its order book before work begins on HS2

Dale Vince, the activist and entrepreneur, has accused the owners of The Guardian of telling “a complete untruth” about his interest in taking control of The Observer. Speaking to Sky News, Mr Vince, who has extensive interests in green energy and owns Forest Green Rovers Football Club, said his discussions with Guardian Media Group (GMG)

The owner of The Guardian is pressing ahead with the sale of the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper to a fledgling digital media company, just hours after scores of journalists went on strike in protest at the deal. Guardian Media Group (GMG) and its parent, the Scott Trust, confirmed on Friday that the sale of The

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for 25% of new car registrations in November, an almost 60% increase year-on-year and well above a government target manufacturers have called on ministers to relax. BEVs were the only sector of the car market to see increased sales in November, which saw new registrations down almost 2%, the second

Thames Water’s largest creditor group has failed to secure a veto over whether a £3bn emergency funding injection is used to settle regulatory fines imposed for a string of environmental and performance failings. Sky News can reveal that a clause stipulating that the company’s A lenders – which account for well over £10bn of the

One of Britain’s biggest parcel carriers has been hit by a capacity crisis at the start of the crunch festive trading period, forcing it to urge key customers to divert business to rival delivery firms. Sky News has learnt that Yodel, which was due to recruit thousands of seasonal workers to help it deal with