George Godber, a fund manager with Polar Capital, said gas prices were set to rise even further later in the year: "Our companies are struggling with this deteriorating economic outlook. How do businesses and consumers plan for rising gas prices, and the squeeze in...

"I didn't meet my man in college, didn't meet my man in law school," she explains, "so there is this sense in the back of your head that you need to hurry up and just have a kid. I'm OK with the commodification of it, especially in America, as we're having to revisit...

Lloyds gave 64,000 employees a 3.6% pay rise plus a one-off autumn lump sum of at least £1,000. A more generous package at Rolls Royce - a 4% pay rise plus £2,000 lump sum - was rejected by unions as essentially being a below-inflation pay rise in disguise.