The UK's manufacturing sector shrank for the fifth month in a row, with output, orders and employment all shrinking, a new poll suggests.
IHS Markit's purchasing managers index (PMI) found that emp[loyment in manufacturing fell at its fastest pace since February 2013.
House prices also dipped unexpectedly in September as uncertainty around Brexit dampened activity, according to Nationwide’s index.
The live blog has ended.
Press Association - Thomas Cook's auditors will be investigated on their role in signing off the last set of accounts for the travel firm prior to its collapse, the accounting regulator has announced.
Financial Reporting Council (FRC) said it would look at whether EY acted properly in scrutinising the numbers in 2018 and could censure the individual accountants or the financial services giant itself.
It follows a similar inquiry launched by Parliament's Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) select committee which is looking at the collapse and has demanded the appearance of executives and auditors for a hearing.
MPs on the committee are particularly keen to look at the bonuses awarded to bosses and EY's role in auditing.
EY replaced PwC as auditors in 2017 and told Thomas Cook accountants that they should stop claiming regular costs on the balance sheet as "one-off" items.
While politicians substituted sympathy for action, dedicated workers took control of the situation and of their workplace. This news proves they were absolutely correct in their assertions that this was a yard with a future.
Not prepared to watch their yard moth balled or picked over by asset strippers, workers took the brave decision to stand together to save their jobs for the current workforce and for generations yet to come.
Their campaign has ensured that Harland and Wolff will not only continue but will be in a position to expand and fulfil its potential as a lynchpin of Northern Ireland’s economy.
The building society recorded a 0.2 per cent fall from a month earlier, below a 0.1 per cent rise forecast by a Reuters poll of analysts.
Prices across the UK rose by 0.2 per cent on September a year ago to £215,352, but Nationwide’s report reveals significant regional variations.
Northern Ireland remained the strongest performing home nation in the third quarter, though annual price growth moderated to 3.4 per cent, from 5.2 per cent in Q2.
Wales also saw a slowdown to 2.9 per cent, from 4.2 per cent last quarter. Annual price growth in Scotland remained subdued at 0.8 per cent up slightly from 0.4 per cent.
Although still unpopular in the wake of the financial crisis, the industry which includes banks, insurers and investment managers is important to the broader economy. It makes up over 7 per cent of Britain’s GDP, around 9 per cent of our exports and 11 per cent of all tax receipts.
John Rogers will depart the chain, which is owned by Sainsbury's on October 31 to become finance chief at WPP.
Greggs has hailed "very strong" trading in the third quarter but warned that Brexit will put pressure on food and labour costs.
Shares are down 6 per cent today after Greggs said that it expected to open fewer stores this year than previously forecast.
Like-for-like sales still rose 7.4 per cent in the quarter though, and Greggs'... innovative... marketing remains something to behold.
Who could forget Stone Henge made out of vegan sausage rolls?
Or the nativity scene starring not Jesus but, yes, a sausage roll:
Press Association - Shares in sofa chain ScS Group have tumbled after it revealed a recent sales hit from hot weather and Brexit uncertainty.
The group's stock fell more than 7 per cent after it bemoaned "more challenging" trading since its year end in July, with like-for-like orders down by 7.6 per cent in the two months to 29 September.
ScS chief executive David Knight said sales had been knocked by the "record temperatures experienced by the UK across the August bank holiday weekend and the increasing political and economic uncertainty we are currently facing in the UK".
Jamie Oliver paid himself £5.2m despite restaurant closures
Celebrity chef ‘deeply saddened’ by collapseO'Leary blames CAA for Thomas Cooks collapse
Reuters - Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority was partly to blame for the chaos surrounding Thomas Cook’s bankruptcy and should make tougher licensing demands to prevent airline collapses stranding passengers.
“How you can license Thomas Cook in April as fit to fly for another 12 months and then it goes bust in September. (It) is something the CAA needs to address,” O’Leary said at a Reuters Newsmaker event.
“The CAA should be much more aggressive in requiring the shareholders of those companies to put up much more cash to get through the year, rather than allowing them to continually fail.”
