Author: SKYNEWS

The fashion designer Sir Paul Smith has told Sky News that a campaign to overturn the so-called tourist tax is not just about “helping rich shoppers coming to buy cheap handbags”, but boosting the wider economy.In an interview with Business Live, he explained why he added his name to a letter to the chancellor – signed by 400 business leaders – demanding the decision to scrap VAT-free shopping for international visitors is overturned. It was reported over the weekend that Jeremy Hunt had asked the Office for Budget Responsibility to review the tax which, according to estimates, rakes in about…

The UK’s jobless rate may have been much lower than estimates suggested at the end of last year, according to data that could bolster pressure on the Bank of England to hold off on interest rate cuts.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said new experimental results from its Labour Force Survey, which is used to determine the official unemployment rate, showed a rate of 3.9% for the three months to November. It had previously been measured at 4.2%.The update, which was based on new population estimates, continued to come with a big health warning as ONS number-crunchers move to bolster…

Retailers suffered a “lacklustre” January as bad weather and cost of living pressures discouraged shoppers from opening their wallets after Christmas, according to new research.Total retail sales across the UK increased by only 1.2% year-on-year in January – down sharply from growth of 4.2% during the same period last year, figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG said. Separate figures from Barclaycard also found year-on-year consumer card spending grew by just 3.1% over the same month.It blamed the recent cold weather – including from Storm Isha and Storm Jocelyn – for putting off shoppers from visiting high streets,…

A new species of pterosaur has been discovered on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.The winged reptile, named Ceoptera evansae, lived between 168 to 166 million years ago during the Middle Jurassic period when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Professor Paul Barrett, merit researcher at the Natural History Museum, said the discovery was a “complete surprise” because “most of its close relatives are from China”.Palaeontologists spotted the fossil remains in 2006 during a field trip to Elgol, on the southwest coast of the island.Since then, the team have spent years physically preparing the specimen and taking scans of the bones, some…

Netflix has released the first images from its upcoming film about Prince Andrew’s infamous 2019 Newsnight interview.Scoop will be based on chapters from former BBC producer Sam McAlister’s memoir on how the explosive interview, in which the royal spoke about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was secured. Rufus Sewell, who starred in The Man In The High Castle and The Diplomat, can be seen playing the duke while The X Files and Sex Education star Gillian Anderson takes on the role of interviewer Emily Maitlis.Netflix has also released an image of Billie Piper, who will be portraying…

A defence firm has won a £1.8bn contract to maintain the Royal Navy’s fleet of ships and submarines over the next 15 years.Thales said the deal with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will support more than 450 highly skilled jobs across the UK, including creating more than 100 positions at its manufacturing site by the River Clyde in Glasgow. The Maritime Sensor Enhancement Team contract will sharpen the focus on equipment availability, predicting problems – through AI innovations and data management – rather than reacting when they emerge.By investing in new dockland facilities, AI, data analysis tools, and skills, it…

An American porn star has sparked anger after visiting Iran – despite the risks of being detained and sentenced to the death penalty.Whitney Wright, 32, filmed herself in Tehran and visited the abandoned US embassy which has been turned into an anti-American museum. In remarks made on social media, Wright, whose real name is Brittni Rayne Whittington, said she “HAD to visit” the embassy where Iranian students held staff members hostage for 444 days after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.”I’m sharing exhibits from a museum that are never seen,” Wright, from Oklahoma, wrote on Instagram in a since-deleted post. “It’s not…

An advertising agency set up by the brothers who helped propel Margaret Thatcher to power is to orchestrate efforts to persuade millions of Britons to buy shares in NatWest Group, the taxpayer-backed bank.Sky News has learnt that M&C Saatchi, whose founders in 1995 included Lord Maurice Saatchi and his brother Charles, has been appointed by the Treasury to devise a campaign promoting a retail offer of NatWest shares later this year. The multimillion pound campaign, which is likely to include a heavy emphasis on social media as well as television and poster ads, is expected to be sanctioned by Jeremy…

A tearful Kate Garraway has revealed her daughter’s final words to her father Derek Draper before he died – and that the 17-year-old asked to carry his coffin at the funeral.In her first interview since laying her husband to rest three days ago, the 56-year-old TV star spoke of her “outpouring of love for everyone that has supported me” during an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “It’s just amazing. It feels like my emotions are at 110%,” she said. Image: Kate Garraway at the funeral with her daughter Darcey (left) and son Billy (right). Pic: PA She opened up…

The owner of Snapchat has become the latest tech firm to announce job cuts.Snap Inc said it would shed 10% of its workforce – around 530 employees – with most roles expected to go in the first quarter. The disclosure was made in a regulatory filing, which also revealed the company expects to face charges of up to $75m (£60m) in severance payouts and other related costs.The California-based firm employs more than 5,300 staff globally, including around 500 in the UK.A Snap spokeswoman told Sky News it was unable to say at this stage if any posts at its London…