South West Water owner taps investors to fix infrastructure after sewage spills
Pennon slashes dividend and launches £550m cash call ‘to drive improved outcomes for customers and communities’Burnham, take note: water shareholders have their usesThe owner of embattled South West Water has slashed its dividend and launched a cash call…
The Greens may yet win in Holborn and St Pancras – but what happened to the party set to ‘replace’ Labour? | Andy Beckett
On the eve of the byelection, Polanski’s pledge is to keep the government ‘in check’. It may not be enough to stop a drift back to the political marginsOnly a few months ago, in the spring, there was a sense of giddy possibility about the Greens. Zack…
Royal Mail to cut up to 2,500 jobs amid restructure and fall in letter deliveries
Postal service says cuts will focus on head office and ‘support function roles’Business live – latest updatesRoyal Mail is to cut up to 2,500 jobs as the embattled company seeks to restructure its business amid intense competition and the continuing…
The generation raised on sugar rations – and what their health reveals 70 years later
From blood pressure to ageing, research suggests the first 1,000 days of sugar exposure could leave a decades-long mark on healthThey were born into a Britain still recovering from the hardships of war. Though the air-raid sirens had fallen silent, many…
Country diary: A gleaming beetle that could be bad news for my garden favourites | Susie White
Allendale, Northumberland: On a hot autumn day, I see rosemary beetles here for the first time. This could be a problem for many thriving plantsThis year there have been several firsts in my garden: old lady, vestal and blood-vein moths attracted to the…
Chancellor plans major intervention to help poorer UK households with rising energy bills
Exclusive: Officials working on further radical changes that would change how much energy companies could charge customersJohn Healey is planning a major intervention to cut energy bills for poorer households at this month’s budget, after ministers…
Senior academics set out key questions Cambridge must answer over Jason Arday’s death
Letter from more than 40 signatories says university has backed away from promised thorough review of events before deathSenior Cambridge academics have criticised the university’s plans to investigate Prof Jason Arday’s death as inadequate, and said…
The Guardian view on the Green party and Palestine: rejecting two states is no shortcut to peace | Editorial
Zack Polanski must defend Palestinian freedom while reassuring Jewish members and showing that his party can handle disagreementsLast year, the UN general assembly endorsed the New York Declaration supporting two states in the Holy Land by 142 votes to…
Labour figures rule out working with Greens after ‘Zionism is racism’ vote
Minister says they could not see parties cooperating, while official says coalition should be formally ruled outSenior Labour party figures said it was very unlikely their party would cooperate with the Greens in the future after they adopted a policy…
Morrisons is not a must-do deal for Sainsbury’s
Odds are good the CMA would approve of a supermarket merger. But does Sainsbury’s need Morrisons?Would competition regulators really smile upon a combination of Sainsbury’s and Morrisons? One must assume the two companies believed the Competition and…