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Union leaders have rejected revised offers to end industrial action on the railways – and announced more strikes over Christmas.

RMT members at Network Rail are being urged by union bosses to reject new pay proposals and proceed with walkouts on 13-14 and 16-17 December.

The RMT has also announced further strike action from 6pm on Christmas Eve to 6am to 27 December.

RMT members will be asked in a referendum whether they should proceed with strikes – a move that could represent a nod to discontent over lost pay through strikes to date or, on the other hand, demonstrate solidarity over their fight.

The Transport Secretary described the escalation as “incredibly disappointing”

The rail dispute is just one of many threatening to deliver a winter of discontent as unions seek pay rises in line with the rate of inflation to help shield their members from the cost of living crisis.

Read more:
Strikes every day before Christmas – where and why

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There is the looming threat of action by nurses, firefighters and National Highways staff.

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How will strikes affect businesses?

It is building on a wave of strikes among other professions including teachers and bus drivers.

The GMB union is expected to announce dates for ambulance strikes at midday on Tuesday.

The dispute between Royal Mail and its 115,000 frontline workers has become increasingly bitter and shows no sign of letting up in time for Christmas following a wave of action over the Black Friday discount shopping bonanza and beyond.

The government is coming under increasing pressure from backbenchers to press ahead with reforms to strike laws that would guarantee a minimum level of service.

The prospect of more intense strike action on the railways is not just bad news for those seeking to travel ahead of the holidays.

Business has become increasingly vocal on the need for a resolution, saying the action is costing hospitality and retailers billions of pounds at a time they can least afford it.

Mr Lynch said of the state of play: “We remain available for talks in order to resolve these issues but we will not bow to pressure from the employers and the government to the detriment of our members.”

Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, accused the RMT of “playing fast and loose with people’s Christmas plans.

He said: “This response from the RMT to a significantly enhanced offer exposes their true priority – using the British public and Network Rail workers as pawns in a fight with the government.

“What use is a referendum that means the strike disruption is inevitable?”.

Further union talks with the RDG are planned for Tuesday.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) announced it was calling off Network Rail strikes planned for December so it could put an offer to its members.

The TSSA had been due to strike on 17 December and take other forms of industrial action from 13 December.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “It’s incredibly disappointing that, despite a new and improved deal offering job security and a fair pay rise, the RMT is not only continuing with upcoming industrial action but has called more strikes over Christmas.

“It’s especially disappointing given the TSSA union has described this new and improved deal as the ‘best we can achieve through negotiation’ and called off strikes.

“The government has played its part by facilitating a fair and decent offer but, by instructing its members to reject it, the RMT has failed to play its part and our rail network now faces more harmful disruption rather than helpful discussion.”

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‘If we’re not there already we’re coming to a town near you’ Aldi says, vowing lower prices before Christmas

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'If we're not there already we're coming to a town near you' Aldi says, vowing lower prices before Christmas

Aldi is to open 80 new shops over the next two years, as well as opening a new one every week until the end of the year, after sales hit a record high.

On top of the new sites to be launched, the UK arm of the German discount retailer said a further 21 stores will open within the next 13 weeks, in London, Durham, and Scotland.

“If we’re not there already, we are coming to a town near you,” Aldi’s UK and Ireland chief executive Giles Hurley told reporters, which will create thousands of additonal jobs.

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Earlier this year, Aldi also said it was seeking sites in Bromley and Ealing in London, South Shields in Tyne and Wear, and Witney in Oxfordshire.

Opening more shops will mean growing market share as the barrier of distance to an Aldi is eliminated.

“The last 35 years have taught us that when we open a store nearby, customers switch to Aldi,” Mr Hurley said.

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“The main reason people choose not to shop with us regularly is distance, with over a third of shoppers saying they’d switched to Aldi for their main shop if we opened a store closer to them.”

There are currently 1,060 Aldis in the UK, with an ambition to bring the total to 1,500.

Price wars

Aldi is the UK’s fourth most popular supermarket, after Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, according to industry data from Worldpanel.

More families were choosing it as the place to do their weekly shop and were also going more frequently for top-up shopping, the company said, which helped Aldi’s UK and Ireland annual revenue reach a new record of £18.1bn in 2024.

Prices are to be brought down in the coming weeks and months as Christmas approaches, Mr Hurley said, as 900 products became cheaper with £300m spent on bringing down the cost of goods.

“I’m really confident that in the coming days, weeks and months, we’ll continue to see prices in our stores drop”, Mr Hurley added.

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Inflation up: the bad and ‘good’ news

Market trends

Despite promised price falls, the outlook for overall inflation is “stubborn”, he said, “more stubborn than other developed countries”.

This is seen in changing buyer behaviour. More shoppers are treating themselves at home rather than going out and are increasingly buying Aldi’s own-label premium goods, Mr Hurley said.

Looking to the budget on 26 November, he said there’s “no doubt” it “does create a bit of uncertainty”.

Grocery prices could rise, and consumer confidence could be affected if business costs grow, he added.

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Blackstone to pledge £100bn UK investment during Trump visit

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Blackstone to pledge £100bn UK investment during Trump visit

Blackstone, the private equity giant which owns stakes in Legoland and swathes of British real estate, will this week pledge to invest £100bn in UK assets over the next decade during President Trump’s state visit.

Sky News has learnt that the investment group will unveil the commitment as part of a government-orchestrated announcement aimed at shifting attention back to the economic ties between Britain and the US.

President Trump’s arrival in the UK this week will come against a febrile political backdrop, following Lord Mandelson’s sacking as US ambassador over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Money blog: ‘I’m a celeb photographer’

Ministers have already begun announcing billions of pounds worth of partnerships in sectors such as financial services and nuclear power, with further deals to follow in areas including artificial intelligence.

Blackstone’s £100bn commitment to UK investments over the next decade forms part of a $500bn European splurge announced by the buyout firm in June, according to a person familiar with its plans.

The figure will encompass private equity buyouts as well as other forms of investment, they added.

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A source close to the firm said it had agreed to invest the sum following talks with Downing Street officials led by Varun Chandra, Sir Keir Starmer’s business adviser.

Blackstone has for decades been one of the most prolific investors in British companies, and only last week triumphed in a £490m takeover battle for Warehouse REIT, a London-listed logistics company.

Last week, it emerged that Southern Water had banned water tanker deliveries to a country estate owned by Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone’s billionaire chief executive.

Sky News revealed last week that Mr Schwarzman would be among the corporate chiefs accompanying President Trump on his state visit.

Blackstone, which manages assets worth about $1.2trn, declined to comment.

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New shops to open as Aldi revenues reach record high

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'If we're not there already we're coming to a town near you' Aldi says, vowing lower prices before Christmas

Aldi is to open 80 new shops over the next two years after sales hit a record high.

On top of the new sites to be launched, the UK arm of the German discount retailer said a further 21 stores will open within the next 13 weeks, in London, Durham, and Scotland.

Earlier this year, Aldi also said it was seeking sites in Bromley and Ealing in London, South Shields in Tyne and Wear, and Witney in Oxfordshire.

Money blog: ‘I’m a celeb photographer’

It comes as Aldi’s UK and Ireland annual revenue reached a new record of £18.1bn in 2024.

The retailer’s market share continued to rise as Aldi said more families were choosing it as the place to do their weekly shop and were also going more frequently for top-up shops.

Aldi has overtaken Asda to become the UK’s third most popular supermarket.

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Following the record revenue, the retailer announced another record figure, an investment of £1.6bn over the next two years to open the new shops.

There are currently 1,060 Aldis in the UK, with an ambition to bring the total to 1,500.

But despite the fact revenue has never been higher, profit fell more than £100m – dropping to £435.5m, down from £552.9m a year earlier.

This came due to pay increases for staff, cutting prices for customers and investment, Aldi said.

Store assistant pay rose this month to a minimum of £13.02 an hour nationally, and £14.35 within the M25.

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