Fifty-four large investors managing €1.2 trillion in assets have launched a campaign to curb the use of antibiotics in the meat and poultry used by ten large US and British restaurant groups.

Taxpayer-backed Lloyds Banking Group has sold more than £1bn (€1.27bn) of investments it inherited from its disastrous takeover of HBoS as part of its drive to return its balance sheet to health.

Lloyds Banking Group today confirmed a deal to offload investments including cinema chain Vue and shirt maker TM Lewin - bought by HBOS in a buying spree prior to its collapse.

British high street bank Abbey today announced it had sold the bulk of its remaining private equity portfolio for an undisclosed sum.