A British-based fintech run by a former top executive at Morgan Stanley, the Wall Street giant, has landed almost £20m in funding from a syndicate of blue-chip investors.

Water customers face having to pay an extra £40 a year to suppliers if the industry is hit by a fresh ratings downgrade, the head of the industry’s main lobbying group has warned.

Chancellor John Healey has shown support for expanding Heathrow Airport after Prime Minister Andy Burnham refused to back plans for a third runway.

Vistry Group, the troubled London-listed housebuilder, is turning to a former executive at The Crown Estate to help repair its battered finances.

An investment vehicle set up by Britain’s banks in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis is close to striking one of its most unusual deals to date by buying a stake in a supplier of reptile food and associated products.

Major UK banks have seen their share prices fall after reports the chancellor is set to raise tax on lenders in the budget.

The culture secretary has warned she is “minded” to intervene in Sky’s £1.6bn deal to buy ITV’s broadcast and streaming operations.

The owners of ailing Poundland are parachuting in a trio of restructuring experts to its board ahead of a sale or filing for administration which is expected within days.

The government is to publish the long-delayed results of probes into Abu Dhabi’s failed attempt to buy The Daily Telegraph – a move which risks stoking tensions with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid a row over Andy Burnham’s links to the owners of Manchester City.

The UK economy has grown, confounding predictions it would shrink, official figures show.