UK company growth slows in blow to Sunak; NatWest share sale threatened by general election – as it happened

Growth across British services firms has cooled noticeably this month in an early blow for PM Rishi Sunak's election campaign.

• Things can only get better? For Sunak and the UK economy, this might be as good as it gets

Happy news from Europe: the eurozone economic recovery is gathering pace with new orders rising at the fastest rate in over a year, new data shows.

The latest survey of purchasing managers shows that eurozone companies are growing at the fastest rate in 12 months, with business activity, new orders and employment growing at a more rapid pace in May.