NatWest quarter profits almost triple to £1.3bn as higher interest rates offset bad loan provision February 17, 2023 NatWest recorded bumper profits in the final quarter of last year as the boost from higher interest rates outweighed funds set aside to cope with bad loans. Profits at the bank increased to £1.3bn in the final quarter, in line with market expectations and doubling compared to last year. This brought yearly profits to £3.6bn, [...]
UK retail sales’ sluggish new year start as cash-strapped Brits go online to nab deals February 17, 2023 UK retail sales remained muted in January following December’s fall, with fuel sales spiking and prices continuing to plummet. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released the figures which showed retail sales volumes increased by just half a per cent last month. This comes after it dipped by 1.2 per cent in December, despite the [...]
Concern for millions as Ofgem confirms forced prepayment meter ban ends in April February 16, 2023 The suspension on forced installations only extends until the end of March, confirmed watchdog Ofgem in a letter to suppliers.
Offshore wind plans must be sped up to meet energy security goals, green group warns February 16, 2023 UK offshore wind pipeline has reached nearly 100GW - more than double its overall generation target to reach net zero.
Sturgeon’s resignation is an admission she would never lead an independent Scotland February 16, 2023 Nicola Sturgeon, like many SNP politicians before her, succumbed to fundamentalism when it came to Scottish independence. This marked her end as first minister, writes Will Cooling
FTSE 100 close: London index breaches 8,000 mark for first time ever despite Barclays tumbling February 15, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 today breached the 8,000 point mark for the first time ever despite Britain’s biggest banks tanking after Barclays posted a big profits drop. Today’s move higher crystalises the premier index’s bullish start to 2023 that has seen it surged more than seven per cent. The new year rally builds on advances that [...]
US inflation eases for seventh straight month but pace of decline loses momentum in headache for Fed February 14, 2023 US inflation eased for the seventh month in a row in January, but the pace of decline is beginning to level off, official figures out today reveal. The pace of price increases in the world’s largest economy on an annual basis fell to 6.4 per cent, down from 6.5 per cent, according to the US [...]
Henderson readying troops to take on Mullins battalion February 14, 2023 WITH exactly a month to go until this year’s Cheltenham Festival, Nicky Henderson is preparing his team for another assault on the best four day’s in the National Hunt calendar. The evergreen 72-year-old has already notched up 72 Festival winners and still holds the same level of enthusiasm in his pursuit of more. “It’s a [...]
Watch: BBC chair Richard Sharp must ‘fall on his sword’ and quit honourably, veteran broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby says February 14, 2023 Richard Sharp is facing growing calls to “fall on his sword” and resign as BBC chairman over the cronyism row caused by him helping Boris Johnson secure an £800,000 loan facility. Rishi Sunak was standing by the embattled former banker despite a highly-critical cross-party report by MPs finding Sharp chairman made “significant errors of judgment”. [...]
Water industry pledges to invest its way out of sewage crisis despite missing spending targets last year February 13, 2023 The government must hold firm with plans to clamp down on sewage spills in the water industry, warns a leading environmental group.