BUSINESS LIVE: Barratt waives CMA’s Redrow concerns; 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 flourish.

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 gather to discuss the global economy.

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

But all eyes will be on Fed chairman Jerome Powell when he delivers a speech on Friday about the US economic outlook.

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

The firm behind its UK shops – No Ordinary Designer Label – collapsed into administration in March after failing to woo younger shoppers.

This led administrators to shut 15 shops.

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

Listings for UK roles hit 862,043 in July, up 1.1 per cent from the month before, according to job site Adzuna.

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

Barratt Development’s £2.5billion 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 intend to complete the combination ‘later this week’, thereby removing ‘uncertainty for the employees, supply chain and wider stakeholder groups of both businesses’.