Business

Reuters The Army could begin delivering fuel by the end of the week – as Boris Johnson reassures drivers about supplies. Mr Johnson said the fuel situation was “improving” and people should be “confident” to go about their business, after days of queues and pump closures. A decision on whether to deploy military tanker drivers

Patisserie Valerie Accountancy firm Grant Thornton has been fined £2.3m for failures in its audits of collapsed cake chain Patisserie Valerie. The fine was for audits carried out between 2015 and 2017, regulator the Financial Reporting Council said. It said Grant Thornton had “missed red flags” and failed to “question information provided by management,” Grant

Getty Images Details of a temporary visa scheme to make it easier for foreign lorry drivers to work in the UK are expected to be set out this weekend. Any changes to immigration rules would be for a limited period only, and there would be a cap on the number of workers allowed to enter

Getty Images Shares in Evergrande have jumped in Hong Kong after the troubled property giant struck an agreement with Chinese bond holders on Wednesday. The announcement helped to calm some investor concerns over debts of more than $300bn (£220bn). But the world’s most indebted developer is also due to make a $83.5m interest payment on

National Express National Express has confirmed it is in talks to buy rival transport firm Stagecoach. Under the terms of the potential deal, National Express would own about 75% of the combined group and Stagecoach 25%. National Express said it would be able to slash costs as a result of the merger, and expected the

Christine Shawcroft Pensioners who have just turned 66 have spoken of their stress and anger after failing to be paid their state pension. Backlogs in processing applications at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) mean thousands of people have not received their entitlement on time. One told the BBC she “wanted to cry” and

Getty Images Retail sales in the UK fell for the fourth month in a row in August, but people spent more time eating and drinking in bars and restaurants. Sales fell by 0.9% in August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, following a 2.8% fall in July. Food store sales fell by 1.2%, but

Getty Images The UK inflation rate hit 3.2% in the year to August, the biggest increase since records began in 1997, as the economy continued to reopen. The Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation rose from 2% in July, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, driven by higher food costs. It now exceeds the

Getty Images French vaccine maker Valneva says the UK government has scrapped a deal for its Covid-19 vaccine. The UK had about 100 million doses on order, after it increased its request by 40 million in February. The company said in a statement that the UK government served notice over allegations of a breach of

Rudy D’Souza “This money was the most important money I could have had,” says Rudy D’Souza. “I’d just moved out and got a new job. But my pay is due after my rent, so I felt really tense and like an idiot for falling for this scam.” The 18-year-old is talking about how £700 left

Reuters EasyJet has rejected a takeover approach and announced plans to raise £1.2bn from shareholders to help its recovery from the pandemic. The airline said the unsolicited bid undervalued the company and the unnamed suitor was now no longer interested. EasyJet’s boss said the share sale would enable the firm “to accelerate our post‐Covid‐19 recovery

Getty Images House prices hit a record high in August, but the annual pace of growth in property values slowed, according to the UK’s largest mortgage lender. The Halifax said the cost of a typical home rose 0.7% last month to £262,954. In the year to August, house prices rose 7.1%, it said, down from

Getty Images More than 8,700 chain stores closed in British High Streets, shopping centres and retail parks in the first six months of this year, research suggests. That is an average of nearly 50 outlets a day as the impact of the pandemic and changing shopping habits continue to hit many towns and city centres.

Getty Images The US economy is staging a slower recovery than economists expected following a rise in coronavirus cases. The economy grew at an annualised rate of 6.5% in the second quarter, according to official data. While gross domestic product (GDP) was ahead of the first quarter, growth was below forecasts of 8.5% “Concerns of

Getty Images Tesco is offering lorry drivers a £1,000 joining bonus amid a chronic shortage of drivers in the industry. The supermarket giant has deployed the recruitment incentive for candidates who join before 30 September. Other companies are also understood to be offering similar incentives for HGV drivers after disruption to supply chains led to

I’m taking a spin on a go-kart track with a difference. It’s the old beauty hall of the Debenhams store in south-west London. The escalators are the only trace of the former department store which remain. All four floors are now being transformed into a high-tech entertainment venue. As we filmed, shoppers stopped to take