Business

The energy regulator has revealed new rules for household suppliers that include priority help for vulnerable customers struggling to pay their bills. Ofgem said that from December, gas and electricity providers had a duty to put those customers first when contacted with an enquiry about their payments. The new requirements also force companies to contact

Last month’s inflation data release completely changed the outlook for Britain’s economic policy. The number came in far below what economists had expected, prompting the Bank of England to pause its rises in interest rates, with wider implications for the state of the British economy. This month’s inflation release – covering the rise in prices

As the conflict in the Middle East enters its second week, we hear from the US treasury secretary Janet Yellen about military support for Israel. Lisa Hooker from PWC talks about consumer confidence in the run-up to Christmas with Ian. And, Andrew Noble, from Par Equity, discusses venture capital investments. :: Listen and subscribe to

Janet Yellen has told Sky News the United States can “certainly” afford wars on two fronts, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas threatens stability in the Middle East and the US continues to support Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Talking exclusively to Wilfred Frost ahead of a meeting of finance ministers in Luxembourg, the US

As the UK competition watchdog gives the green light for Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard, Ian King is joined by Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the Competition and Markets Authority. Sky’s economics and data editor Ed Conway interviews Jeremy Hunt as the chancellor attends the IMF-World Bank meeting in Marrakesh. Sophie Lund-Yates, from financial service

Households could face a one-off charge of £17 a year to help prevent energy suppliers from going bust. Ofgem says rising prices and the cost of living crisis meant consumers were £2.6bn in debt over the summer – a record high – piling pressure on businesses. The energy regulator argued that consumers could end up

As Israel strikes back at Hamas, Ian King looks at what the economic effects of the war might be for the region. Lucile Cornet, partner at Eight Roads Ventures Europe, joins Ian to discuss why the rapid advance of Artificial Intelligence is being embraced by young workers. And Ian speaks to Gwenaelle Avice Huet, Executive

Elon Musk has told an EU chief to send him a list of the “violations” he is accused of – after the bloc told him to tackle the spread of disinformation about the conflict between Israel and Hamas on his X messaging platform. X, formerly known as Twitter, says it is trying to take action

A new free phone line has been created by the UK’s food safety watchdog to help people report suspected food fraud. Food fraud is a blanket term used by governing agencies to describe all types of food-related crime. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says this often involves selling food or drink that isn’t what it

Ian King talks to George Lagarias from Mazars about the economic risks from the unrest in the Middle East. He also discusses the fall in grocery price inflation with Tom Steel from Kantar. We also hear all the latest market analysis from Investec’s John Wyn-Evans. Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here.

The price of oil and shares in weapons makers have risen while a growing number of airlines are adjusting flight schedules over fears related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Ryanair was the latest carrier to reveal its plans, saying it would not fly in or out of Tel Aviv until Thursday at the earliest. The scale

Ian King speaks to the head of UK Residential Research at the real estate consultancy, Knight Frank, about house prices – which have fallen for a sixth month in a row. Plus, hear from the boss of Merlin Entertainments about its plans to launch augmented reality games at its attractions – based on hit TV

Tesco predicts that food inflation will continue to fall, as it announces a big rise in profits. Ian speaks to the executive chairman of Aston Martin, as the British luxury car manufacturer bids for overall victory at Le Mans for the first time since 1959. And the chief executive of Vertu, Robert Forrester discusses car

The founder of a sports streaming service whose customers include Manchester City Football Club, the Premier League champions, has regained control of it days after the firm collapsed into administration. Sky News understands that Andy Meikle, who founded Recast Sports in 2018, has engineered its purchase from Interpath Advisory, which was appointed to handle the

The sharp decline in house prices took a pause for breath last month, according to a closely-watched report. Nationwide said prices were unchanged in September compared to the previous month. The lender had reported a 0.8% fall in August. It meant that prices were still 5.3% lower than a year earlier, equalling the biggest annual

The German media giant which publishes Die Welt, one of Europe’s leading newspapers, has joined the race to buy The Daily Telegraph and its Sunday sister title. Sky News can exclusively reveal that Axel Springer has registered its interest in acquiring the British broadsheets. Insiders said the company, which also owns the Business Insider and

A British start-up which helps to forecast floods more accurately has raised £2m from a syndicate of prominent investors. Sky News understands that Previsico, which was spun out of Loughborough University in 2019, has secured the backing at a significant premium to its previous funding round. The round was led by 24Haymarket, the angel investor

Vivendi, the global media conglomerate, is exploring a sale of its See Tickets division and the organiser of the annual Love Supreme music festival in east Sussex. Sky News has learnt that Paris-headquartered Vivendi, which owns the French broadcaster Canal Plus and the marketing services giant Havas, is working with advisers on a potential disposal

Spotify Technology is testing an artificial intelligence (AI) powered feature that will translate podcasts into other languages. Powered by Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s newly released voice generation technology, translated versions of podcasts will mimic the original speaker’s style and will be more natural than traditional dubbing, Spotify said. Podcasts such as Armchair Expert from actor Dax Shepard,

The shootout between one of the world’s largest tech companies and Britain’s competition regulator is, at heart, a battle for control of the new frontline of gaming.  The gaming industry is a $250bn (£204bn) industry that, on some measures, is now larger than the music, book and movie industries combined. And the fastest growing part