Author: SKYNEWS

As the latest reduction in the energy price cap takes effect, households are being warned of a big lift in bills ahead due to higher wholesale gas prices.The cap, which limits what suppliers can charge per unit of energy, fell by 7% overnight in the wake of the latest three-month review by industry regulator Ofgem. The reduction meant that typical 12-month bills will be around £500 cheaper than a year ago.It left the average bill at £1,568 – a figure that will apply until the result of the next review takes effect in October.However, a report by the Energy &…

Bansky has claimed responsibility for a migrant boat artwork that appeared above the crowds during a set at Glastonbury.The inflatable boat was filled with dummies designed to look like migrants attempting to cross the Channel. It was hoisted above the crowd and passed around by festival-goers during the Idles’ performance on the Other Stage at Worthy Farm on Friday night.The boat appeared again during rapper Little Simz’s set as she performed on the Pyramid stage on Saturday. Image: Little Simz on stage at Glastonbury. Pic: AP Banksy later posted a video of the boat on his Instagram page – appearing…

The outgoing boss of Boots is leaving to run Veonet, one of Europe’s largest chains of ophthalmology clinics.Sky News has learnt that Sebastian James is to become the new group chief executive of Veonet, which is owned by the private equity firm PAI Partners and Canada’s Ontario Teachers Pension Plan. He will leave Boots in November, as Sky News revealed on Saturday, and will join Veonet soon afterwards, insiders said.Veonet was acquired by its current owners in early 2022 from Nordic Capital, another buyout firm.In the UK, Veonet owns SpaMedica, which performs eye operations such as cataract removals for the…

Coldplay have become the first act in history to headline Glastonbury five times – playing a record-breaking set to a huge, sparkling audience for whom it felt like coming home.Thousands in the crowd will no doubt have seen them at least once here before, but no matter – they have their detractors, but you cannot argue with the fact Chris Martin’s band can put on a headline performance worthy of Worthy Farm. Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis was among the special guests watching stage-side as they performed to a crowd stretching way back into the night, and they were also joined…

In a morning timeslot when most respectable Glastonbury-goers would usually be in bed, Irish-language rappers Kneecap drew what stage organisers described as a headline-worthy crowd to the area.The trio have built a name for themselves with a balance of socially conscious lyrics and satire but have really come to the fore in recent months after taking legal action over a UK government decision to block funding they had been granted by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Often described as controversial, there is no doubt they are unafraid to say what they think – but argue they are simply speaking up…

Glastonbury is no stranger to mixing music with politics, and with the general election just days away and protests against the Israel-Hamas war ongoing, this year has been no exception.Artists from Damon Albarn to Charlotte Church have been vocal about their thoughts on the war on stage – and reflected back at them, a notable number of Palestinian flags are being held aloft by those in the crowds. Closer to home, while the looming election means planned visits by Labour’s Angela Rayner and the Greens’ Caroline Lucas were shelved, Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham did give a speech, and installations…

The chief executive of Boots, Britain’s biggest high street pharmacy chain, is quitting after its owner’s plans for a £5bn sale or stock market listing stalled.Sky News has learnt that Sebastian James, who has run Boots since 2018, will leave the company in November. City sources said this weekend that he had accepted a new role in the healthcare industry.Money blog: How to split housework fairlyHis exit comes soon after it emerged that New York-listed Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), the British retailer’s owner, had decided for the second time in two years against pursuing a sale or stock market flotation…

Britain’s fourth-biggest household energy supplier is lining up bankers to explore options including bringing in a new investor or a sale, 15 years after it launched in a bid to challenge the industry’s oligopoly.Sky News has learnt that OVO Group, which was founded by Stephen Fitzpatrick, is close to hiring Rothschild to assist with a strategic review of the business. City sources said this weekend that a range of possibilities would be considered during the process, which is expected to take several months.Money blog: How to split housework fairlyThese are likely to include a refinancing – with talks already underway…

Martin Mull, who starred in hit television shows including Roseanne, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Arrested Development, has died aged 80.Mull’s daughter, TV writer and comic artist Maggie Mull, said he died at home on Thursday following a “valiant fight against a long illness”. The US actor, who was first known for his role in 1970s satirical soap Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and its spinoff Fernwood Tonight, was “never not funny”, Ms Mull said. Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use…

Dua Lipa has set the bar high for this year’s Glastonbury headliners, performing a slick set of hits to an enormous crowd at the festival’s famous Pyramid Stage.The 28-year-old star told fans she had manifested the moment, but watching her command the stage – hit after hit played, voice soaring, dance moves effortless – it seems her talent was always going to bring her here. Starting with Training Season, from her latest album Radical Optimism, Lipa kept the energy levels high throughout for tracks including Be The One, Levitating, Hallucinate, One Kiss, Physical, New Rules and Don’t Start Now.As is…