Behind closed doors at the fund's Washington headquarters, Mr Osborne challenged Olivier Blanchard, IMF chief economist, about the Frenchman's comments that Britain was �playing with fire� over its austerity drive, setting up a battle over the impending IMF ...

As the power supplier announced a 5.6pc rise in annual profits to �1.4bn, Ian Marchant lashed out at critics in Westminster and said that the company suffered because of the �big numbers� in its results.

Mr Bernanke told US congressmen that the American economy was in better health than a year ago, but warned that a sudden end to the fiscal stimulus package would jeopardise that recovery.

Nationwide has increased its share of the British mortgage market to a record level, helped by government-funded programmes to support housebuyers, such as the Bank of England's Funding for Lending Scheme.

Less than a week after Wm Morrison unveiled its long-awaited tie-up with Ocado, one of the supermarket's biggest shareholders sold out.

The new boss charged with turning around Britvic has wasted no time wielding the axe at the drinks maker. Simon Litherland, who took over from predecessor Paul Moody 12 weeks ago, announced plans to shut two factories, a warehouse, ditch some of its ...

The pound slammed into reverse on Wednesday as a sharp fall in high street sales dented hopes Britain is on the road to a steady recovery.

Investments in shale gas drilling could yield an industry worth nearly �4bn a year to the UK economy and create more than 70,000 jobs, according to a new report from the Institute of Directors (IoD), becoming a "new North Sea" energy business in the process ...

A �5bn hole in the public purse has been caused by the failure of HM Revenue and Customs to clamp down effectively on fraud and error, MPs warn on Wednesday.

Ed Davey, the UK energy secretary, has warned that Scotland could lose billions of pounds in subsidies for renewable energy projects if it voted for independence, putting its green energy revolution at risk.