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The economy remained in reverse gear during October, according to official figures covering the month ahead of the government’s first budget.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said output fell 0.1% following the 0.1% decline recorded for the previous month.

It marked the first time since the COVID pandemic that the economy had shrunk for two consecutive months.

The figures showed zero growth in the powerhouse services sector, with manufacturing and construction declining at a pace of 0.6% and 0.4% respectively.

Economists had expected a positive headline figure.

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The data adds to the picture of a far more jittery economy during the second half of the year, in the wake of the general election.

Critics blame the government, accusing Sir Keir Starmer and his chancellor Rachel Reeves of a spectacular, early, own goal that spooked the public and businesses alike.

After three weeks in office, both warned of a “tough” budget to come on 30 October due to an inherited “£22bn black hole” in the public finances that a snap Treasury review had uncovered.

There has been strong evidence since then of a hit to sentiment as a result of the warning in data covering things like consumer spending and wage awards.

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Gurpreet Narwan

Business and economics correspondent

@gurpreetnarwan

The economy is now 0.1% smaller than it was before Labour came to power.

It’s been almost six months but the new government is yet to deliver on its promise to turbocharge economic growth.

The chancellor will today urge the public to be patient with her. The message will be: It will take a lot longer than six months to revive an economy that has been stagnating for a decade.

How confident should we be in her plan? On the one hand, falling inflation and interest rates should provide a more fertile environment for consumer spending and business investment.

The government’s plan to increase public investment should also boost demand in the economy and, if successful, lead to longer term sustained growth.

Yet, there are a number of risks. A big increase in business taxes next year will weigh on employment and growth.

Pubs, restaurants and retailers are already stagnating and that was before they reacted to the budget, which at the end of the month slapped them with a big increase in employers’ national insurance contributions..

The latest figures show output in consumer-facing services fell by 0.6% in October 2024, following growth of 0.4% in September 2024. Manufacturing also shrank by 0.6% as, across the economy, businesses went in ‘wait and see’ mode ahead of the budget. The risk is they didn’t like what they saw in the budget.

Then there is Trump and the risk of tariffs. Britain could escape the worst of the cross hairs but we will have to wait and see. If things go against us, it’s very possible that the Bank of England could soon start worrying more about weak growth than inflation, possibly a prelude – as we’ve seen in Europe – to a faster pace of interest rate cuts.

The economy, which had been the fastest-growing in the G7 between January and June, grew by 0.1% during the third quarter of the year.

Economists had been expecting a similar performance in the final three months of 2024 following a budget that largely spared working people additional pain but put businesses and those of wealthier means on the hook for extra taxes.

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CBI chief’s approach to budget tax shock

Business has since accused the chancellor of hurting the very working people she wants to protect as measures, such as higher employer National Insurance contributions, will only lead to weaker pay growth, fewer jobs and higher prices as additional costs are passed on.

Employers also argue that the extra tax burden, along with tougher employee rights legislation, will hurt investment at a time when Labour has prioritised growth in the economy.

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HMV owner slams budget ‘burden’

Ms Reeves said the figures were “disappointing”, but defended the budget.

She said: “We have put public finances back on a stable footing, capped the rate of corporation tax at the lowest level in the G7, established a £70bn National Wealth Fund to drive growth in our towns and cities, launched a 10-year infrastructure strategy and are creating pension mega funds to boost investment in British businesses, infrastructure and clean energy.”

The chancellor added: “We are determined to deliver economic growth as higher growth means increased living standards for everyone, everywhere.”

Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said: “It is no wonder businesses are sounding the alarm.

“This fall in growth shows the stark impact of the chancellor’s decisions and continually talking down the economy.”

He went on to say that Labour was left “the fastest growing economy in the G7”, adding: “Because of their decisions, growth is now under serious pressure.

“The impact will be felt by families through higher taxes, fewer jobs, higher prices and higher interest rates.”

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The government has shifted the growth emphasis to the public sector through a jump in investment in services such as the NHS.

Ms Reeves is borrowing more to help fund that and insists the budget was a one-off to help fix pressing problems that were unfunded by her predecessor.

The Bank of England has said that the reaction of business to the budget tax hikes is its main area of concern when judging the prospects for inflation and economic growth.

Financial markets are expecting four interest rate cuts next year but no change when policymakers meet for the final time in 2024 next week.

Commenting on today’s figures Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: “October activity was held back by uncertainty ahead of the budget, with consumer and business confidence near recent lows.

“The fourth quarter could see a weaker pace of growth, as businesses come to terms with the higher tax burden announced at the budget as well as rising geopolitical uncertainties.

“Nevertheless, we expect higher public spending to lift GDP growth next year, with lower interest rates providing some boost to private sector demand.”

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Music video streamer ROXi lands backing from US broadcasters

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Music video streamer ROXi lands backing from US broadcasters

A music video-streaming service whose shareholders include the U2 bassist Adam Clayton will this week announce that it has sealed a management buyout after months of talks.

Sky News understands that the assets of MagicWorks, which trades as ROXi, have been sold to a new company called FastStream Interactive (FSI), with backing from two major US-based broadcasters.

Sources said that Nasdaq-listed Sinclair and New York Stock Exchange-listed Gray Media were among the new shareholders in FSI, with the launch of new interactive TV Channels in the US expected to take place shortly.

The deal, which has involved raising millions of pounds of new equity from new and existing investors, has resulted in previous creditors of the business being repaid in full, according to the sources.

Its search for funding from the US was seen as vital because of the programme to roll out its FastScreen technology.

Founded in 2014, ROXi described itself as the world’s first ‘made-for-television’ service, allowing viewers to stream millions of songs and download hundreds of thousands of karaoke tracks.

Its broadcast channels allow viewers to skip through content in which they have no interest.

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Simon Cowell, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams were among the prominent music industry figures who had previously been named as ROXi investors.

Financiers including Guy Hands and Jim Mellon are said to be part of the new ownership structure.

In response to an enquiry from Sky News, Rob Lewis, FSI chief executive, said: “The new technology, FastStream, will revolutionise broadcast TV.

“For the first time in history, consumers tuning into a normal TV channel will find they automatically start at the beginning of the programme, and that they are able to skip, pause or search, even though they are watching normal broadcast TV”.

Begbies Traynor Group, the professional services firm, and Rockefeller Capital Management advised on the process.

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Concierge firm founded by Queen’s nephew hunts buyer

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Concierge firm founded by Queen's nephew hunts buyer

Quintessentially, the luxury concierge service founded by the Queen’s nephew, is in talks to find a buyer months after it warned of “material uncertainty” over its future.

Sky News has learned that the company, which was set up by Sir Ben Elliot and his business partners in 1999, is working with advisers on a process aimed at finding a new owner or investors.

City sources said this weekend that Quintessentially was already in discussions with prospective buyers and was anticipating receipt of a number of firm offers.

Sir Ben, the former Conservative Party co-chairman under Boris Johnson, owns a significant minority stake in the company.

The Quintessentially group operates a number of businesses, although its core activity remains the provision of lifestyle support to high net worth individuals including celebrities, royalty, and leading businesspeople.

It also counts major companies among its clients and offers services such as organising private jet flights and performances by top musicians.

The sale process is being overseen by a firm called Beyond, although further details, including the price that the business might fetch, were unclear on Saturday.

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One insider said parties who had been contacted by Beyond were being offered the option to buy a controlling interest in Quintessentially.

This could be implemented through a combination of the repayment of outstanding loans, an injection of new funding into the business, and the purchase of existing shareholders’ interests, they added.

Quintessentially’s founders, including Sir Ben, are thought to be keen to retain an equity interest in the company after any deal.

In January 2022, newspaper reports suggested that Quintessentially had been put up for sale with a valuation of £140m.

Deloitte, the accountancy firm, was charged with finding a buyer at the time but a transaction failed to materialise.

Sir Ben, who was knighted in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list, turned to one of Quintessentially’s shareholders for financial support during the pandemic.

World Fuel Services, an energy and aviation services company, is owed £15.5m as well as £3.5m in accrued interest, according to one person close to the process.

The loan is said to include a warrant to convert it into equity upon repayment.

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Quintessentially does not disclose the number or identities of many of its clients, although it said in annual accounts filed at Companies House in January that it had increased turnover to £29.6m in the year to 30 April 2024.

The accounts suggested the company was seeing growth in demand from clients internationally.

“During the last year, we have not only renewed important corporate contracts like Mastercard, but have also expanded by adding new corporate clients like Swiss4 in the UK, R360 in India, and Visa in the Middle East and South America,” they said.

In its experiences and events division, it won a contract to work with the Red Sea Film Festival and to provide corporate concierge services to the Saudi Premier League.

It added that Allianz, the German insurer, BMW, and South African lender Standard Bank were among other clients with which it had signed contracts.

The accounts included the warning of a “risk that the pace and level at which business returns could be materially less than forecast, requiring the group and company to obtain external funding which may not be forthcoming and therefore this creates material uncertainty that may cast ultimately cast doubt about the … ability to continue as a going concern”.

This weekend, a Quintessentially spokesman declined to comment on the sale process.

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Superstar Adele joins backers of music royalties platform Audoo

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Superstar Adele joins backers of music royalties platform Audoo

Adele, the Grammy award-winning artist, has joined the list of music superstars investing in Audoo, a music technology company which helps artists to receive fairer royalty payments.

Sky News has learnt that the British musician and Adam Clayton, the U2 bassist, have injected money into Audoo as part of a £7m funding round.

The pair join Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus as shareholders in the company.

Changes to Audoo’s share register were filed at Companies House in recent days.

Audoo, which was established by former musician Ryan Edwards, is trying to address the perennial issue of public performance royalties, in order to ensure musicians are rewarded when their work is played in public venues.

Mr Edwards is reported to have been motivated to set up the company after hearing his own music played at football stadia and in bars, without any payment for it.

Estimates suggest that artists lose out on billions of dollars of unaccounted royalties each year.

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London-based Audoo uses a monitoring device – which it calls an Audio Meter – to recognise songs played in public venues, and which is said to have a 99% success rate.

It has struck what it describes as industry-first partnerships with organisations including the music licensing company PPL/PRS to track and report songs played in public performance locations such as cafes, hair salons, shops and gyms.

“At Audoo, we’re incredibly proud of the continued support we’re receiving as we work to make music royalties fairer and more transparent for artists and rights-holders around the world through our pioneering technology,” Mr Edwards told Sky News in a statement on Friday.

“We have successfully reached £7m in our latest funding round.

“This funding marks a pivotal moment for Audoo as we focus on our growth in North America and across Europe, bringing us closer to our mission of revolutionising the global royalty landscape.”

Sources said the new capital would be used partly to finance Audoo’s growth in the US.

The latest funding round takes the total amount of money raised by the company since its launch to more than $30m.

Mr Edwards has spoken of his desire to establish a major presence in Europe and the US because of their status as the world’s biggest recorded music markets.

Adele’s management company did not respond to an enquiry from Sky News.

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