Business

“Today is a day, frankly, of obscenity.” Ed Miliband, Shadow Climate Change Secretary, speaks to @CathyNewman about the revelation energy companies have been breaking into struggling customers’ homes to fit prepayment meters.

£32 billion – the profits made by Shell last year were the highest in their 115-year history, largely due to the spike in energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But the company, which is based in the UK, is paying windfall tax of just £109 million pounds here because it makes most of its…

We spoke to the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, and asked him how big a risk he thought he and his colleagues were taking by raising rates despite a looming recession.

The Bank of England has hiked interest rates to 4% – a 14-year high. Will it have an impact on UK inflation?

The Bank of England may have sounded a little less gloomy about the economy today – predicting that the recession will end sooner than it previously thought and that the rate of inflation will fall rapidly later this year. But, it still put its base interest rate up again – this time to 4 per…

Seven in 10 of us bought fewer and cheaper presents this festive period.

Justin Welby has told this programme he’s honoured at the prospect of becoming the first archbishop in 70 years to crown a British monarch.

We spoke to the General Secretary of the PCS Union, Mark Serwotka.

Britain was hit with more pre-Christmas disruption today, as Royal Mail staff went on strike over pay and conditions – the first in a series of walkouts. They’re just the latest set of workers to take industrial action – with more planned this month by unions representing train drivers, nurses and ambulance staff – among…

The National Farmers Union has warned that the current shortage of eggs could represent the beginning of a bigger food supply crisis. It wants the government to take action to help farmers deal with the high costs of fuel, fertiliser and animal feed. The NFU said the UK could be “sleepwalking” into a crisis with…

Rail union leaders have announced more strikes over the Christmas period after rejecting revised pay offers in last-ditch talks. Two rounds of strikes were already scheduled, but now RMT boss Mick Lynch says workers will walk out on Christmas Eve.

The cost of living crisis is affecting millions across the country. According to the charity National Energy Action, over eight million households in the UK will be in fuel poverty by next April. That’s an increase of nearly 90% from last year and means one in three households will be paying a disproportionate amount of…

So how have today’s announcements been received?

As the economy heads towards a recession, interest rates are going up and the government is expected to squeeze the public finances in its Autumn Statement – due out next Thursday.

The Bank of England has predicted that the country is heading for a recession that could last two years.