... Off. � FTSE 100 closes at highest level since September 2000 � Political attacks on tax avoidance could damage Britain � Apple 'tried to find Holy Grail of tax avoidance' � UK exit from EU would be 'loss/loss scenario' Latest.

The company, Britain's biggest clothing retailer, said that pre-tax profits in the year to March 30 were �564m, compared to �658m a year ago and M&S's record pre-tax profits of more than �1bn.

Shares in London have reached levels last seen at the height of the dotcom boom nearly 13 years ago. At a close of 6,755 points, the FTSE 100 blue chip index matched levels from September 2000, just before the market's fascination with loss-making ...

The bosses of some of Britain's largest multinational corporations have urged David Cameron to stop moralising and rein in his rhetoric on tax avoidance ahead of a G8 summit next month.

The committee, which is made up of senior politicians, on Monday argued that Apple's complex structure includes three Irish-based subsidiaries that appear not be a tax resident anywhere in the world.