BUSINESS LIVE: Britvic agrees £3.3bn takeover; Marston’s exits brewing; Ocado expands partnership in Japan

Many taxpayers who pay an additional rate are faced with tax on the interest on their savings, possibly without realising it.

Boeing executives have accepted a $243.6 million settlement that will spare the company from having to face criminal charges over two deadly 737 Max crashes.

Under the agreement, Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from the deadly crashes in Indonesia in October 2018 and in Ethiopia less than five months later, which killed a total of 346 people.

Richard Carter, head of fixed income research at Quilter Cheviot, comments on how the French general election will impact markets:

We expect the French election result to elicit a muted market reaction, as investors had largely anticipated that the Rassemblement National would not secure a majority.

However, there is growing concern that the current market optimism may not fully take into account the complexities introduced by the hung parliament. The political impasse carries significant risks, particularly in light of France’s challenging fiscal position. Furthermore, the policies of the far left will also be seen as very unfriendly by the markets, so the hope is that some kind of moderate left coalition will emerge.

Two weeks ago, the European Commission placed France under an excessive deficit procedure. With parliament in turmoil, the chances of implementing the necessary cuts are becoming less likely. This complicates France’s efforts to comply with the EU’s strict budget rules and to steer its public debt in a more sustainable direction.

Figures show Conservative voters have lost confidence in Rishi Sunak’s party’s ability to manage the housing market ahead of the election.

Analysis of the results shows the Conservatives are receiving less support from Labour and the Liberal Democrats in the seats with the most mortgage holders.

Grant Thornton is looking for a private equity investor to invest in the 100-year-old company.

The accounting giant is exploring a possible deal that would see the UK firm’s auditing arm remain majority-owned by its 220 partners, the Sunday Times reported.