Days before a referendum that seemed to be in the bag for David Cameron, a YouGov Plc poll suddenly showed the Leave side ahead.

Britain’s FTSE-100 share index snapped a three-month run of gains and sterling fell against all of its major peers yesterday as two new opinion polls surprisingly indicated that UK voters now favour the country leaving the EU.

Members of Britain’s royal family and celebrities were the first to get a glimpse of this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, which features everything from a train carriage as part of a 550sq m planted-up station to a garden of bizarre gadgetry by Diarmuid Gavin which comes to life every 15 minutes.

Many private firms responded impressively during the Paris attacks, but they should learn to value people all the time, not just in times of crisis, writes Lucy P Marcus

There are sound biological reasons why women’s bodies are naturally curvy and voluptuous. Deirdre Reynolds gets the skinny on essential body fat.

Scotland would vote Yes to independence if another referendum were held today - just six weeks after a majority voted No, a poll has found.

Team Juncker roared past the finishing post in the European Parliament, right on schedule, promising to present a €300 billion plan for investment, growth and jobs within six weeks.

The energised Yes campaign in the Scottish referendum was made up of highly effective grassroots groups and signals a political sea change ahead of next year’s British general election, writes Miranda Green

On the eve of Scotland’s independence referendum, the fate of the United Kingdom rests on hundreds of thousands of wavering Scottish voters, as opinion polls showed supporters of the 307-year union just a whisker ahead of secessionists.

The pollsters could be wrong about Scotland’s referendum, says Andrew Osborn

GOLFERS TAKE A SWING AT EACH OTHER

The leader of the campaign for Scottish independence failed to turn a US-style television debate into a victory for his cause, six weeks before Scotland votes on whether to break up the United Kingdom.

Eight out of ten people in the UK believe foxhunting should remain illegal, an animal welfare charity has claimed on the biggest day in the hunting calendar.

Consumers are giving frozen foods the cold shoulder as the horsemeat crisis continues.

Frozen burger sales are down by 43% and frozen ready meals by 13% in the wake of the horsemeat contamination scandal despite consumers suggesting they would be happy to eat the product in future, new figures from the UK suggest.

Parents of a child with ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder) say the back-to-school period is more stressful than a job interview.

THE Irish economy has failed to date to grasp the huge opportunities for growth offered by the internet.

ALL marriages are happy – it’s the living together afterwards that causes all the trouble, someone once said, and research has shown that might be right.

Peter Mandelson today issued a warning to straying Labour voters who are considering voting Liberal Democrat – flirt with Nick Clegg and you will end up married to David Cameron.

Almost half of public sector workers think their personal financial situation will worsen over the next 12 months, according to a survey by Ipsos MORI.

The British Labour Party has been pushed into third place behind the Liberal Democrats as the party who voters most want to see forming the next UK government, according to a new poll.

SMOKERS in the UK are putting off quitting because they are stressed out by the economic downturn, according to a report released yesterday.

TEACHERS and schools need to dispel the impression among students that computing jobs are just for geeks and nerds, a major study has recommended.

The UK Conservative Party raced into a record 24-point opinion poll lead today among those certain to vote as Labour hit a 30-year-plus voter rating low.

The Executive needs to prioritise the provision of good quality, affordable childcare in the North, according to a study published today by NICMA the Childminding Association.

BULLYING, or poor relations with teachers, are more likely to cause pupils to miss a lot of school than attitudes at home, which have previously been blamed, research has found.

Fewer than one person in 10 thinks his or her personal financial circumstances will get worse in 2008, according to new research.

The number of people taking part in UK TV competitions and phone-in votes has dropped by nearly half following the emergence of the premium-rate scandals, according to research out today.

TAXPAYERS could save up to €3,000 per year on treating a patient with diabetes if the disease was better controlled, a leading medic has claimed.

OLDER workers are more productive and more reliable than younger ones, according to a new survey.

For the second time in three years, Ireland West Airport Knock has been voted the best regional airport by Chambers Ireland’s Air Transport Users Council (ATUC).

Political pollster Mori looked set for French ownership today after shaking hands on a takeover valuing it at £88m (€127.6m).