Business

Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI could face investigation by the UK’s competition regulator. The tech giant is a major investor and strengthened ties following the chatbot’s wildly successful launch in November 2022, committing another $10bn (£7.9bn) earlier this year. It is reported to own a 49% stake in the company, which is at

Google has revealed a new AI model it claims beats rivals like ChatGPT at most tasks after the company’s “largest science and engineering project ever”. Gemini is described as multimodal, meaning it can understand text, audio, video, images, and computer code. It’s been built by teams across Google, including London-based AI research unit DeepMind. DeepMind

Manchester United Football Club and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the petrochemicals billionaire, aim to announce within days a £1.25bn deal that will see him take a 25% stake in the Red Devils. Sky News understands that the two sides have pencilled in early next week to confirm the long-awaited transaction, which will involve Sir Jim’s Ineos

Popular music-streaming app Spotify will cut almost a fifth of its workforce despite turning a profit of €65m (£55.7m), according to its latest figures. The firm’s latest round of job cuts will affect around 1,500 people – which is 17% of its current total of 9,300 employees. It’s the third round of job losses at

House prices recorded a second month of growth in November, according to a closely-watched report. The Nationwide House Price Index showed average values were 0.2% higher, building on the 0.9% increase it measured in October. It meant, the mortgage lender said, that prices were 2% down on an annual basis – outperforming the expectations of

Even before Northern Rock collapsed and the financial crisis exploded, Alistair Darling was already wrangling with an unenviable inheritance as chancellor of the exchequer. Not only was he having to follow in the footsteps of the longest-serving chancellor of modern times – a man who presided over an almost unprecedentedly long period of stability and

Elon Musk has launched a fiery attack on advertisers who have stopped promoting on his social media platform X, telling them to “go f*** yourself”. At the New York Times DealBook summit on Wednesday, the X CEO was asked about American firms – including Disney – who pulled ads after he apparently endorsed an antisemitic

Castore, the British sportswear brand backed by Sir Andy Murray and which adorns a host of Premier League football kits, has reached a valuation of nearly £1bn after scoring a bumper investment from a host of new backers. Sky News can reveal that Castore has struck a deal to raise £150m from investors including Raine

On today’s episode, Ian King discusses the news that Nissan is making a big investment in its Sunderland plant – which the prime minister has hailed as a “massive vote of confidence” in the UK. He also looks at a deal between Boots and Legal & General, and speaks to the boss of lorry maker

Nissan has announced plans to build new electric versions of its popular Juke and Qashqai models at its Sunderland plant. All models made at the site will be entirely electric cars and a battery making plant, a so-called gigafactory, will also be built as part of an overall £3bn investment in the transition away from

Ian King is joined by Economics and Data Editor, Ed Conway, to discuss yesterday’s Autumn Budget and the news that business activity has risen this month. He also speaks with Eamonn O’Hare, one of the founders of Zegona – a UK-listed business set up to invest in telecoms assets – which is buying Vodafone’s Spanish

Nissan is to commit to manufacturing electric versions of two of its bestselling models at its Sunderland plant after months of talks with the government. Sky News can reveal that the giant Japanese car manufacturer will announce on Friday that it will build the electric Qashqai and Juke at the site – a decision that

Ian King looks at the chancellor’s autumn statement. Richard Hughes, chair of the budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, or OBR, speaks about the autumn statement and the economic outlook. Dr Sai Shivareddy, chief executive of tech firm Nyobolt, also reacts to the announcements. Ian King is also joined by Steve Hare, chief executive

A warning from Burberry that sales expectations are at risk from a slump in demand for luxury has sent its shares sharply lower. The company’s stock dived by almost 10% in early trading in London after it admitted that its annual revenue forecast for low double-digit growth was in peril, with profitability suffering too in

Manchester United has confirmed its chief executive of two years, Richard Arnold, “has decided to step down” as part of a “management transition”. The development was revealed shortly after Sky News reported that Mr Arnold would be replaced by the club’s general counsel, Patrick Stewart, on an interim basis. The change is taking place as

The chief executive of Manchester United Football Club is to leave after just two years in the job as its owners finalise the sale of a minority stake to the petrochemicals billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Sky News has learnt that the Old Trafford club will announce to the New York Stock Exchange later on Wednesday

In a sense, the headline news today is the least important bit of all. Inflation has dropped to 4.6% which means the chancellor and prime minister can claim victory in one of their five pledges – the one to halve inflation by the end of the year. True, there’s still a few months of data

A rise in costs including for energy and repairs has contributed to annual car insurance premiums hitting a new record high, according to an industry body. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) reported a 29% leap in paid-for average comprehensive cover during the third quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2022.

Our business correspondent, Paul Kelso, joins the show as he takes us through the King’s Speech, which laid out the government’s plans for the coming year. And we hear from the chief executive of department store Fenwick about retail sales. Listen and subscribe to The Ian King Business Podcast here Advertisement

The battle against inflation could receive a boost – if a big fall in global oil costs is sustained. Brent crude futures fell by 4% on Tuesday to levels not seen since July on the back of data that suggested demand would continue to slide in China – the world’s second biggest economy. Brent was