Edward Johnson

Small businesses have accused water suppliers of saddling them with the cost of “historic errors” made by bosses in the scandal-hit industry, as it emerged their prices could rise nearly 30% by 2030. The water industry regulator, Ofwat, has told businesses that it expects average wholesale charges for non-household customers – which include small firms, … Read more

Dobbies is planning to shut 17 of its 77 stores, affecting 465 jobs, as its new owners try to return the garden centre group to profitability. The company, which employs 3,600 workers, said it was seeking the approval of creditors for a restructuring plan that would reduce its rent bill. The closures by the end … Read more

Just three years ago, Sweden’s then prime minister, Stefan Löfven, visited Northvolt’s base near the Arctic Circle in Skellefteå – Europe’s first homegrown battery gigafactory – and declared the city “the future” in the fight against the climate crisis. Its work had huge significance for Sweden and the world, the Social Democrat said. The arrival … Read more

The former chair of the Post Office has warned of another Horizon-style scandal if so-called “untouchable” investigators and executives involved in the prosecution of sub-postmasters are not fired before the organisation rolls out its new IT system. Henry Staunton, who was sacked by the then business secretary, Kemi Badenoch, in January, said there there were … Read more

Private equity firms are using US public sector workers’ retirement savings to fund fossil fuel projects pumping more than a billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere every year, according to an analysis. They have ploughed more than $1tn (£750bn) into the energy sector since 2010, often buying into old and new fossil … Read more

(KTLA) – McDonald’s famous Boo Buckets are making a return just in time for Halloween. The Boo Buckets, a customer-favorite which doubles as a trick-or-treating bucket, comes with Happy Meals. The company will introduce a blue bucket this year, replacing last year’s purple one. Customers can customize their buckets with themed sticker sets. McDonald’s first … Read more

The Irish finance minister has hailed the €14bn tax windfall from Apple as “transformational” just weeks after the government lost a case in the European court of justice arguing the tech company should keep its money. Unveiling the country’s budget on Tuesday, Jack Chambers said the money would be used on infrastructure and not splurged … Read more

Ministers are being asked to draw up billions of pounds in cuts to infrastructure projects over the next 18 months despite Rachel Reeves pledging to invest more to grow the economy, the Guardian has learned. Members of the cabinet have been asked to model cuts to their investment plans of up to 10% of their … Read more