Business

EPA High winds have led to warnings of road and rail disruption in parts of the UK on Christmas Eve. While Sunday has been unseasonably mild for many, forecasters also spoke of strong gusts in Scotland, parts of northern England and the Midlands. The AA warned of “lengthy” traffic jams, and told people to prepare

Getty Images By Sam Gruet & Michael Race BBC News Regulated train fares in England will rise by up to 4.9% from March, the Department for Transport has said. The increase is capped below inflation and will be delayed from January when hikes usually come into force. In the past, fares have risen based on

Getty Images Government borrowing fell in November but was still higher than expected, the latest official figures show. Borrowing – the difference between spending and tax income – was £14.3bn last month, above forecasts of £13bn. The figure was £900m less than a year earlier, but was the fourth highest total for November since monthly

Getty Images By Nick Edser Business reporter Attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea risk pushing up the price of oil and other goods, analysts have warned. Several firms have paused shipments through the route after vessels were attacked by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The world’s second largest shipping line, Maersk, said on Tuesday

Getty Images By Kevin Peachey Cost of living correspondent Homeowners and buyers have spoken of their “serious stress” after a cyber-attack played havoc with property completions. CTS, which provides IT services to law firms, said systems were still not back to normal after more than three weeks of disruption. Conveyancers have found workarounds that have

Getty Images Households face paying extra on energy bills to cover customers’ bad debts under plans by the industry regulator. Ofgem is proposing lifting the energy price cap by £16 between April next year and March 2025. It estimates that debt levels for energy customers has risen to £2.9bn. Last month, Ofgem announced it would

Netflix By Suranjana Tewari BBC News Netflix has released viewer data on 99% of its catalogue for the first time. Users around the world watched The Night Agent for 812m hours, making the political thriller its most viewed show in the first half of this year. The streaming giant has been criticised for not being

Getty Images UK lending for house purchases will fall by 8% in 2024, a trade association representing banks is predicting. In a report, UK Finance said higher interest rates and household costs would make it harder for people to access mortgage credit, which is based on affordability. It predicted this trend would also lead to

Getty Images By Kevin Peachey Cost of living correspondent Mortgage rates on a typical two-year fixed deal have fallen below 6% for the first time since mid-June, according to Moneyfacts. The financial information service said the average rate was now 5.99%. Competition among providers has intensified as they face a battle to attract a small

Getty Images By Kevin Peachey Cost of living correspondent Cash use has grown for the first time in 10 years as shoppers keep a close eye on their budgets while prices rise, retailers have said. The British Retail Consortium said 19% of purchases were made with notes and coins last year, echoing a report by

PA Media Thames Water has said that reviving the business will “take time” as it struggles to improve services while coping with billions of debts. The comments came as Thames said profits for the first half of its financial year had halved to £246m. Worries persist about how the UK’s largest water company will deal

Emma Davies By Sam Gruet and Ashleigh Swan Business reporters, BBC News Single mum Emma Davies is struggling with the cost of baby formula for her 13-week-old daughter Nancy. But despite the expense, the 42-year-old says she won’t buy cheaper alternatives. “You just want the best for your children, you don’t want to give them

By Samantha Everett & Lora Jones BBC News Olivia DeRamus was 19 and studying at university in California when she was sexually assaulted. The situation was made worse when she found she couldn’t speak out about it. “I was sexually assaulted. And my story doesn’t end there,” says Olivia. After reporting the incident, the university

Getty Images Some suppliers have raised prices by more than their costs went up over the past two years, according to the UK’s competition watchdog. This has helped push up food prices, the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) said. The findings are part of an analysis of pricing in 10 categories, including baby formula, milk

Getty Images By Lucy Hooker Business reporter, BBC News The prime minister will host a group of leading business figures on Monday at Hampton Court to highlight foreign firms’ plans to invest in the UK. Rishi Sunak said £29.5bn of new investment had been promised, which he described as a “huge vote of confidence” in

AFP Carnival UK is withdrawing a threat to use a controversial strategy known as “fire-and-rehire” in negotiations over the pay and conditions for more than 900 crew at the cruise operator. Trade union Nautilus said the move followed urgent discussions. In a joint statement Carnival and Nautilus said the tactic was being dropped. Instead they