Author: SKYNEWS

Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have hinted at tax rises to come when the chancellor delivers the budget later this month.In a Downing Street speech this morning, Ms Reeves will address “speculation” that an increase in income tax will be announced during the highly-anticipated statement on 26 November. Politics Hub: Follow chancellor’s speech liveSky News political editor Beth Rigby said it was “highly unusual” for the chancellor to make such a speech, but the Treasury believes she must “try to prepare the ground and make the argument for another big tax-raising budget”.”I will make the choices necessary to deliver…

Prince William has talked about the need for more good leaders, as well as putting on a display of his less serious side, on the first day of his tour to Brazil.William, who is in the country all week for both his annual Earthshot Awards on Wednesday and COP30, the UN’s climate conference, started his trip with a penalty shootout at the iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio, before heading to Copacabana Beach to kick off his shoes and take part in a volleyball game. Image: Pics: PA On Tuesday, he will focus more heavily on his environmental work with a…

Five new arrests have been made in the investigation into the Louvre jewellery heist, the prosecutor for Paris has said.French radio station RTL reported the arrests on Thursday, following an interview with Laure Beccuau. The Paris prosecutor’s department shared the interview on social media with the caption: “Louvre Burglary: Five New Suspects Apprehended.”In the interview, Ms Beccuau said one of the five suspects was identified through DNA traces left at the crime scene, but she added that it was “too early” to comment further on the suspects’ identities.All five were arrested in coordinated raids in Paris and its surrounding areas…

Ryanair’s boss has accused the chancellor of having no idea how to grow the UK economy as the airline reported hikes to fares had delivered a 42% rise in half-year profits.Michael O’Leary told Sky’s Mornings with Ridge and Frost programme that Rachel Reeves “hasn’t the rashers how to deliver growth” while taking aim at a planned rise in air passenger duty slated for next April. He called for the hike, revealed at her first budget last October, to be reversed in her speech to the Commons on 26 November – a budget business believes could further harm private sector investment.Money…

The biggest supermoon of the year will be visible in skies for multiple days next week. The first full moon of November is known as the beaver moon, and this year, it is also the second of three consecutive supermoons. Here is all you need to know, from how best to see it to why it happens in the first place.What is a supermoon?Supermoons are essentially full moons that appear bigger and brighter than normal. They occur because the moon doesn’t orbit Earth on a perfectly circular path. Image: A supermoon over central London. Pic: PA Moving in an oval around…

A man who burgled one of Damien Hirst’s studios and was caught by police who traced the movements of his GPS-enabled ankle tag has been jailed.Liam Middleton-Gomm broke into Thames Wharf Studios in west London on 30 June and stole around £5,130 of goods, including electronic items, clothing and a pram. The 36-year-old, of no fixed abode, smashed the window beside a fire exit and reached in to activate its shutter and enter the building, prosecutor Paul Andrews told Kingston Crown Court on Thursday.The burglar, who has dozens of previous convictions, had attended the studio twice that evening and went…

A group of senior City figures is in talks to raise hundreds of millions of pounds for a new listed vehicle that would be used to target a major corporate takeover.Sky News has learnt that JRJ Group, which was co-founded by the former Lehman Brothers executives Jeremy Isaacs and Roger Nagioff, is orchestrating talks with investors about the launch of a London-listed acquisition company. TOMS Capital, which was established by former hedge fund manager Noam Gottesman, is also involved in the new venture, which has been codenamed Project Mayflower.This weekend, City sources said that initial discussions with institutional investors about…

TikTok is being accused of “backtracking” on its safety commitments, as it puts hundreds of moderator jobs at risk in its London office. In August, the company announced that hundreds of jobs were at risk in its Trust and Safety offices. In an open letter to MPs, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) said on Thursday that TikTok is “looking to replace skilled UK workers with unproven AI-driven content moderation and with workers in places like Kenya or the Philippines who are subject to gruelling conditions, poverty pay”.Sky News understands that a number of the 400+ moderators losing their jobs will be…

Culture lovers have long believed in the healing power art. Now, science has caught up, with new research showing it has measurable benefits on the body.A study from King’s College London has found that looking at original artworks, in a gallery, doesn’t just lift us emotionally – it also has a positive impact on our physical health. Fifty people aged between 18 and 40 were shown art by a selection of leading 19th-century artists: Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, van Gogh and Gauguin. Image: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 – 1901), Jane Avril in the Entrance to the Moulin Rouge (c. 1892) Image: Édouard…

The manager of the bulk of TGI Fridays’ restaurants around the world has swooped to buy its British operations in a deal which preserves all 2,000 jobs at the chain.Sky News has learnt that Sugarloaf TGIF Management, run by former TGI Fridays chief executive Ray Blanchette, has struck a deal to take control of nearly 50 UK sites. Industry sources said the deal was likely to be announced within days.Money blog: Holidays blow as pound takes another batteringThe transaction will see TGI Fridays’ UK arm form part of a growing international consolidation of the brand under Mr Blanchette. The British…