Retailers could be allowed to open their businesses again as early as 12 April, the government has announced. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the news to the House of Commons, saying that the reopening of retail would be part of the second step out of England’s lockdown. Progress on the next steps out of lockdown
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Boeing 777s with the same engine as the one which caught fire after taking off from Denver will be temporarily banned from entering UK airspace. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the move on Twitter after two incidents involving Boeing 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines. In one, a plane’s engine caught fire and
Saga, the over-50s travel and insurance specialist, is in talks about a £170m debt package as it seeks to chart a course through the remainder of the coronavirus pandemic. Sky News has learnt that the company, which rebuffed a takeover approach last year, has kicked off talks with a group of debt funds about refinancing
A specialist finance provider advised by David Cameron, the former prime minister, is in talks with the giant American investment firm Apollo Global Management about a multibillion dollar deal. Sky News has learnt that Apollo is among a number of parties in discussions with Greensill Capital, a London-based firm set up by Lex Greensill a
Tech giant Google has fired the head of its artificial intelligence (AI) ethics programme, claiming she had broken the rules on moving files outside of the company. Margaret Mitchell tweeted the she had been let go by the firm on Friday, with the move coming a month after she had publicly vented about the way
The boss of LloydsPharmacy is facing questions from a prominent MP about its treatment of employees as its American owner plots a £400m sale of the chain. Sky News has seen a letter from Robert Halfon, a member of the Conservatives’ 1922 Committee, to Toby Anderson, chief executive of McKesson UK, querying prospective changes to
The pound passed US$1.40 on Friday for the first time in nearly three years. Just after 1.30pm, the pound was up 0.4% on the day but earlier it hit $1.4024 – its highest since 20 April, 2018. The UK’s rapid COVID-19 vaccination programme has sparked hopes that there might be a sharp economic recovery after
Uber has lost its battle in the Supreme Court over drivers’ rights – a decision that could have far-reaching implications for millions of people in the gig economy. Judges concluded that Uber drivers should be classed as workers and not independent third-party contractors – a ruling that means that drivers will be entitled to basic
The chief executive of Robinhood has dismissed suggestions the zero-commission trading platform tried to stop its own users profiting at the expense of hedge funds during the GameStop saga. Vladimir Tenev was among prominent figures involved in the share trading frenzy last month to give evidence to a House of Representatives’ committee investigating any wrongdoing
Barclays has reported a 30% drop in pre-tax profits as its provision for bad loans due to the pandemic hit £4.8bn. However, the drop to £3.1bn in 2020 was much less than forecast as a strong performance by its investment bank offset cash set aside to cope with losses caused by the economic fallout of
Nightclubs, bars and music venues face “extinction” unless urgent government action is taken, a cross-party group of MPs has warned. Some businesses have been unable to open at all since March of last year and others have already gone under. This time last year, Jeremy Joseph’s club Heaven in London was hosting the Pussycat Dolls
Ford has announced its entire passenger range in Europe will be all-electric by the end of the decade. The motor giant also said its commercial models will be 100% zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, by 2024. The move comes after Ford reported a return to profit in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Bitcoin has crossed the $50,000 (£36,000) barrier for the first time on the back of surging demand for the so-called crypto king among mainstream investors. The cryptocurrency, which has endured wild swings in its value during a chequered 12-year history, struck a record high above $50,100 on Tuesday, according to the CEX.IO exchange. The milestone
A planned £6.5bn sale of eBay’s classified ads business Gumtree to a Norwegian rival threatens “higher prices and less choice” for consumers, a watchdog has warned. The acquisition by Adevinta, which owns the online marketplace Shpock, would give the US multinational a 33.3% voting stake and a seat on the board of its Scandinavian competitor.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak should ensure next month’s budget secures the economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis to date rather than try to start fixing the public finances, according to a report. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and Citi Research warns of a hit to lower-income households ahead, in particular, if the furlough
Air passenger numbers plummeted by 98% at the height the pandemic last year, official figures show. Monthly arrivals to the UK fell during the first coronavirus lockdown from 6.8 million in February to 112,300 in April 2020, data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals. The figures have been released as part of