The firm – which operates oil fields across the North Sea – said it wanted to focus on its renewable activities, regulated distribution networks and efficiency services, citing “dramatically altered global energy markets, technical innovation, and more diverse customer expectations”. […]

One of BT’s biggest shareholders has said that it would support a multi-billion pound rights issue to fund the takeover of UK mobile operator EE or Telefonica’s O2, which would create the UK’s most powerful telecoms and media company. The […]

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast that the Government will borrow £86.6bn this fiscal year but with just five months to go, “it appears virtually impossible” that the target will now be reached, said Martin Beck, senior economic […]

The bit that has not gone well for the Chancellor is the fiscal side. In the last budget he aimed to bring public borrowing this year down by some £12bn compared with last year. After seven months of the financial […]

He used to turn up to press conferences in fancy dress and came out with colourful quotes such as: “Germans will crawl b****** naked over broken glass to get low fares.” But now Michael O’Leary, the controversial chief executive of […]

Economic week ahead All eyes are on the Autumn Statement this Wednesday, as George Osborne, the Chancellor, is set to deliver a string of updates on the Government’s plans for the economy. The Office for Budget Responsibility is likely to […]

“I was in the Middle East for four years. I was shot at by Saddam – a bit of Scud missile landed in my house in 1991,” recalls Millar. As it turned out, such experiences were good preparation for life […]

At present, I’m a trustee at Uppingham and a governor of Delamere C of E County Primary Academy. Both schools show the similarity between a successful school and a brilliant business. Both benefit from creating the right culture, having an […]

Electra, the private equity firm that recently defeated a boardroom coup attempt by a US corporate raider, is readying the sale of its Nuaire business. Last week, Electra shrugged off the attempt by American activist Edward Bramson to gain a […]

Britain’s major banks have removed red tape that meant businesses often had to wait months to secure loans from alternative finance providers. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Lloyds, Barclays and HSBC have introduced common standards meaning it will take no […]