Business

Fish steaks instead of cupcakes and sanitary towels instead of sandwich wraps are among some of the worst supermarket substitutions, according to a new survey. A survey of more than a thousand online grocery shoppers by Which? found three in ten (29%) reported having an item substituted in their last order. Asda shoppers were the

A former chief executive of Aston Villa and Liverpool is a surprise contender to become the inaugural chairman of the government’s controversial football watchdog. Sky News can exclusively reveal that Christian Purslow, who left Villa Park in 2023, is on a three-person shortlist being considered by Whitehall officials to chair the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).

The banking sector is “investing heavily” in digital platforms, according to the body which represents the country’s lenders as many face a backlash over the latest payday glitch chaos to hit customers. Millions were exposed on Friday to varying challenges from slow app or online banking performance to being blocked out of their accounts altogether.

From bin collections and parks to social care, it’s estimated local authorities in England provide more than 800 services for residents, touching on many different aspects of our lives all the way from childhood to elderly care. A National Audit Office report found spending on services increased by £12.8bn – from £60bn to £72.8bn –

Nvidia has signalled no drop in demand for its flagship chips among big artificial intelligence (AI) spenders despite the low-cost challenge posed by Chinese rival DeepSeek. The leading AI chipmaker said it expected Blackwell sales to continue to grow after its latest earnings beat market expectations. Nvidia forecast revenue of around $43bn (£34bn) for its

The government has signalled that plans to bring a second runway at Gatwick into regular use will get the green light if environmental conditions are met. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “minded to approve” the airport’s plans, but the deadline for a decision has now been pushed back until the end of October.

Oil and gas giant BP has again slashed its renewable energy investment and announced more funding for greater fossil fuel production. In a further row back of climate targets the company has said renewable energy investment will fall by $5bn (£3.95bn) a year to just $1bn to $2bn (£790m to £1.58bn). Less than half that

How much have America, Britain and the rest paid Ukraine in aid since the Russian invasion? And do they have any hope of getting money back in return? These are big questions, and they’re likely to dominate much of the discussion in the coming months as Donald Trump pressurises his Ukrainian counterparts for a deal

The average annual energy bill will increase to £1,849 from April as the industry regulator Ofgem increases the price cap for the third time in a row. When compared to prices over the last three months, the new figure represents a 6.4% a year – or £9.25 per month – increase in the typical sum

Did you know there’s a critical product – one without which we’d all be dead – which Europe is actually importing more of from Russia now than before the invasion of Ukraine? It might feel a bit pointless, given how much chat there is right now about the end of the Ukraine war, to spend

The net zero sector has grown by 10% over the past year – adding £83bn to the UK economy, a new study suggests. Employment in green businesses and industry has also climbed 10%, supporting the equivalent of 951,000 full-time jobs (2.9% of total UK employment). Politics latest: PM warns of ‘crucial moment’ in Ukraine war

Russian oligarchs with links to the Kremlin can now be banned from the UK, the government has announced as part of a fresh sanctions package on the third anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The Home Office said “elites” linked to the Russian state can now be prevented from entering the UK under the

Britain’s payments watchdog is expected to be abolished as part of a purge of regulators being thrashed out in Whitehall. Sky News has learnt that ministers and officials are examining whether to scrap the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) and fold it into the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). A decision is expected to be taken in

Heist highlights concerns over crypto industry security Anyone who owns crypto may well be feeling a little nauseous after the biggest ever theft of funds by hackers. Bybit is the second largest cryptocurrency exchange. It would have had careful security protocols. And yet somehow their systems were penetrated and an as-yet unidentified individual or group

Cliff Nicholls runs two trampoline parks and indoor play centres: one in Tamworth in the West Midlands, the other in Bolton, Greater Manchester. He’s already feeling the pressure from the government’s latest budget measures and has been forced to abandon further investment plans. “The national minimum wage increases coming in April, combined with the reduced

A challenger bank which has amassed a substantial customer base of Britain’s wealthiest savers is in talks about raising £200m in private funding before pursuing a US flotation which would raise further questions about the attractiveness of the London market. Sky News has learnt that Monument Bank, which now has roughly £5bn in assets, has

Shops were given a surprisingly big boost in January as retail sales rose by 1.7% – much more than the 0.3% rise forecast by economists. It’s the first growth since August and follows a fall of 0.6% in the key shopping month of December, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures. There has not

Nigel Farage has given up sole control of Reform UK, with the party’s members now being “handed over ownership” following a vote last year, according to its chairman. The party, led by Mr Farage, was previously controlled by the Clacton MP as he held a majority of shares in the company. According to the party’s

Parents who are entitled to hours of free childcare should not have to pay mandatory extra charges to secure their nursery place, the government has said. Updated guidance from the Department for Education states that while nurseries are entitled to ask parents to pay for extras – including meals, snacks, nappies or sun cream –

What happens when you put a boyhood fan in charge of their club? They discover it’s not so simple to run after all. And the fans you sat with many years ago are as impatient as ever. Anger reverberates exactly a year since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS organisation gained day-to-day control of football