Author: SKYNEWS

A leading construction industry body has warned the prime minister that measures unveiled in the budget will “fatally undermine” family-run companies in the sector, adding to the business backlash facing the government since the end of October.In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer seen by Sky News, Steve Mulholland, chief executive of the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) said reforms to Business Property Relief and Inheritance Tax unveiled by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, had raised “very real concerns [among] family businesses”. The BPR changes involve reforms, due to be implemented in 2026, that will cap BPR at £1m and introduce a…

This year’s climate was good news for parts of the country’s environment, but for some wildlife the weather’s effect was negative, the National Trust has said.We look at the winners and losers of the wet and mild weather seen over the past year. Winners Image: Dunwich Heath in Suffolk. Pic: National Trust/PA Heather at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, East Anglia, home to species including nightjar, woodlark and adders, had suffered a 60% loss due to extreme heat and drought conditions in 2022.A drone survey in June revealed 11% of the damaged heathland heather had come back to life following spring…

The family of Gavin & Stacey star Laura Aikman only found out she was returning to the sitcom while they watched the finale on Christmas Day.The 39-year-old actress shared a video on her Instagram showing her family screaming in shock as her character Sonia appeared in the episode. Sonia, the ex-girlfriend of James Corden’s character Neil “Smithy” Smith, appears in the final Christmas special in a crucial plot twist. Image: Laura Aikman. File pic: PA One member of Aikman’s family can be heard shouting “press pause” while another tells her “you never told me”.”We never told anyone,” Aikman replies. Sharing…

Aviva has agreed a deal to buy rival company Direct Line for £3.7bn ahead of a Christmas Day deadline.The insurance firm announced the agreement with its smaller competitor a few weeks after a £3.3bn bid was turned down in November. A deal for the two firms would make them a force in motor insurance, estimated to cover more than 20% of the UK market.Aviva’s chief executive Amanda Blanc welcomed the deal as “excellent news”.”Aviva and Direct Line share a deep commitment to excellence in looking after customers and this will remain a top priority following the acquisition,” she added. “The…

The preserved remains of a juvenile mammoth have been discovered in thawing permafrost after more than 50,000 years.The creature was recovered by scientists from the Batagaika crater in Russia, a huge depression more than 80m (260ft) deep that is widening as a result of climate change. The carcass, weighing more than 110kg (240lb), was brought to the surface on an improvised stretcher, according to Maxim Cherpasov, head of the Lazarev Mammoth Museum Laboratory in the city of Yakutsk. Image: Researchers Gavril Novgorodov and Erel Struchkov. Pic: Gavril Novgorodov via Reuters He said the mammoth was probably a little over a…

Richard Perry, a hitmaking record producer who worked with Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Ringo Starr and the Beatles, has died aged 82.Perry, a recipient of a Grammys Trustee Award in 2015, died on Tuesday at a Los Angeles hospital after suffering cardiac arrest, his friend Daphna Kastner said. “He maximised his time here,” said Ms Kastner, who called him a “father friend” and said he was godfather to her son.”He was generous, fun, sweet and made the world a better place. The world is a little less sweeter without him here. But it’s a little bit sweeter in heaven.”Perry, who…

An Oxford University spinout which is developing a new generation of weed-resistant herbicides has begun planting a $40m (£32m) fundraising with prospective backers.Sky News understands that Moa Technology, which was co-founded by the world-leading university’s head of plant sciences Professor Liam Dolan, is kicking off a Series C funding round. Moa has already raised $59m (£47m) from prominent investors including Oxford Science Enterprises (OSE), BGF and Lansdowne Partners, the Mayfair-based hedge fund.Its existing shareholders are understood to be supportive of the new fundraising plans, although potential new investors will also be approached.Moa is developing active ingredients which can break weeds’…

Astronauts stranded on the International Space Station over Christmas have sent a festive message back to Earth.Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore, Don Pettit and Nick Hague were launched into space on 5 June on what was due to be an eight-day test flight mission. But the Boeing-made Starliner spacecraft suffered several technical issues, including helium leaks and thruster failures, and has been unable to return since.In the video message, recorded on 23 December, Mr Hague says: “The holiday season, it’s about spending time with friends and family and loved ones – this year we’re going to be in orbit away from…

Alec Baldwin will not appear again in court for involuntary manslaughter over a fatal shooting on the set of Rust after New Mexico prosecutors dropped their appeal.The trial against him earlier this year collapsed after just three days over testimony that prosecutors had withheld potential evidence from the defence. Baldwin was holding a gun which went off on the set in New Mexico in 2021, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.The 66-year-old, an actor and co-producer on the film, denied ever pulling the trigger and said he had been directed to aim it at a camera. Please…

Cadbury says it is “disappointed” after losing its royal warrant after 170 years.The chocolate maker behind festive favourites such as Heroes and Dairy Milk is among the brands that have had their warrants withdrawn under King Charles. The development was reported in a list published by Buckingham Palace’s Royal Warrant Holders Association.Warrants are granted as a special mark of recognition to people or companies who have regularly supplied goods or services to the royal household.Cadbury was first granted the warrant in 1854. Unilever, which owns consumer brands Dove and Lipton, was also stripped of its warrant. Read more from Sky…