JCB boss backs Britain leaving EU

The chairman of construction equipment firm JCB has said he is in favour of Britain leaving the European Union. "We are the fifth or sixth largest economy in the world.

Rolls-Royce receives record £6bn engine order

Rolls-Royce has received its largest order to date, worth £6.1bn ($9.2bn), to supply engines for 50 Emirates A380 planes.

Car sales in the UK in 2014 return to pre-recession levels

British consumers bought more new cars in 2014 than in any year in the last decade as cheap finance deals and a growing economy fuelled confidence.

Barclays rolls out face-to-face video banking

Barclays is to offer a “video banking” service that allows customers to have a “face-to-face” conversation with an adviser via their smartphone, tablet or computer, wherever they are in the world, whatever the time of day.

Royal Mail says Amazon delivery service will hit its UK parcels business

Royal Mail shares slumped on Wednesday after the newly privatised postal service warned that its profits would be hit by Amazon launching its own delivery service.

Passed their use-by date? The businesses Tesco could sell

Tesco’s fleet of corporate jets is up for sale and Dunnhumby, the data mining empire behind its Clubcard loyalty scheme, could also be up for grabs as the troubled supermarket group’s new boss Dave Lewis looks for ways to shore up the supermarket giant’s finances.

Standard Life shares jump 10% on sale of Canadian business

Shares in Standard Life rose 10% on news it is selling its Canadian unit to Manulife Financial for $4bn Canadian dollars ($3.7bn; £2.2bn) in cash.

Royal Mail: competing services threaten six day-a-week delivery

Royal Mail has warned communications watchdog Ofcom that its mandate of delivering post six days a week to any address in the UK is under threat from competing services.

Nationwide warns of 'natural correction' in house prices

Nationwide building society has warned the London housing market may face a "natural correction". The mutual's chief executive, Graham Beale said there was already a "slowing down in the market place".

Pharmaceutical shares soar after Novartis and Glaxo deal

Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline have agreed a multibillion dollar swap of assets under which the two pharmaceutical companies will join forces in the consumer healthcare sector combining brands including Aquafresh, Beechams and Tixylix and exchange their oncology and vaccine businesses.

Shell to sell off three North Sea assets

Shell is to sell its interests in three of its assets in the North Sea but says it is still committed to its operations in UK waters.

Serco agrees to repay £68.5m after tagging scandal

Private security firm Serco has agreed to repay £68.5m to the government for overcharging to tag criminals, says the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

Dubai Air Show: Boeing leads order books race

Airlines in the Gulf have placed a number of high-value plane orders on the first day of the Dubai Air Show, with US giant Boeing a major winner.

Google faces fresh grilling by MPs over tax

Matt Brittin, head of Google's northern European operations, will be called again to face the Public Accounts Committee, along with its auditor Ernst & Young.

Prudential fined £30m over AIA bid

Insurance giant Prudential has been fined £30m by regulators over its 2010 bid to buy AIA, an Asian subsidiary of US insurer AIG.

Primark sees strong rise in annual sales

Annual sales have risen at clothing chain Primark, helped by "particularly strong" UK trading over the summer, and a "buoyant" performance in Europe.

US retailer Walgreen buys 45% stake in Alliance Boots

US retailer Walgreen is to pay $6.7bn (£4.3bn) for a 45% stake in UK rival Alliance Boots.

Tesco pays £40m to exit Japan

Supermarket chain Tesco, struggling with falling sales in the UK, has announced it will pay £40m to exit its Japanese business.

'Zombie' companies holding back UK economy, says Ernst & Young

Britain's recovery is being held back by a wave of "zombie" companies that should be allowed to fail but are instead undermining capitalism, according to Ernst & Young.

Network Rail chief executive to turn down bonus

Network Rail bosses, including chief executive Sir David Higgins, have said they will not accept bonuses this year.