BUSINESS LIVE: Barratt dismisses CMA concerns over Redrow; Ted Baker jobs at risk; job vacancies rise again

No one wants Rachel Reeves to succeed more than I do. Not because I voted Labour (I didn’t), but because I want the country to prosper.

And because, as the first female Chancellor, she could be an inspiration to women.

The world’s financial markets will be on tenterhooks this week as top central bankers meet to discuss the global economy.

Officials from the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank (ECB) will meet for their annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

But all eyes will be on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell when he delivers a speech on Friday on the U.S. economic outlook.

Ted Baker will close its remaining 31 stores tomorrow, putting more than 500 jobs at risk.

The company behind its UK stores, No Ordinary Designer Label, filed for bankruptcy in March after failing to attract younger shoppers.

This led managers to close 15 stores.

Job vacancies have risen for the first time this year as confidence among employers grows.

UK job vacancies hit 862,043 in July, up 1.1 percent from the previous month, according to employment site Adzuna.

The increase was driven by graduate positions, as well as legal and manufacturing positions.

Barratt Development’s £2.5bn takeover of rival Redrow is set to go ahead after the housebuilder agreed to address concerns raised by the competition regulator.

The group said it intends to complete the combination “by the end of this week”, thereby removing “uncertainty for employees, the supply chain and the broader stakeholder groups of both companies”.