Britain is warning other EU countries that it will block a single eurozone banking supervisor unless those outside the system win more safeguards, as London expresses growing frustration that its demands are being left to last, the Financial Times reported. While David Cameron, the UK prime minister, has said he “does not want to stand in the way” of a eurozone banking union, behind the scenes British diplomats are stepping up calls for urgent progress to be made to resolve their concerns.

Environmental consultancy AEA Technology Group said it plans to appoint administrators for its companies in England and Wales, after failing to resolve debt issues, Reuters reported. AEA - which advises the U.S. Department of Energy, the British government and several companies on climate change and energy issues - said it was unable to assess its financial position and asked for its shares to be suspended from trading.

U.K. bank executives want investors to buy into their vision of the future. But the past keeps catching up with them, The Wall Street Journal reported. During recent results presentations, CEOs of British banks boasted how they had cleaned up their balance sheets, refocused their franchises and cut underperforming business lines. However, most of the headlines were buried in the back of their regulatory filings.

The Bank of England is likely on Thursday to opt for a pause in bond purchases aimed at boosting the economy after Britain exited recession and some rate-setters voiced doubts about the policy's bite. The central bank has bought a total of 375 billion pounds- worth of British government bonds since the 2007-08 financial crisis, completing the latest round of purchases last week. Economists have been paring back expectations of more buying, or quantitative easing, in November since data showed late last month surprisingly strong GDP growth between July and September.

British retail sales slowed sharply in October as Britons limited to spending to essentials such as food and drink, the British Retail Consortium said on Tuesday, dampening hopes that consumers will drive the economic recovery, Reuters reported. Like-for-like retail sales - a measure that strips out changes in floor space and is favoured by equity analysts - fell by 0.1 percent in value terms on the year, the BRC said, making October one of the worst months for the sector this year.

UK personal insolvency figures are predicted to fall further tomorrow, but experts warned the recent improving trend is likely to hit a turning point soon, with large numbers of people still living on the brink, The Telegraph reported. Charles Turner, vice-president of the Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA), expects personal insolvencies to fall further from the four-year low set in the second quarter of this year to around 26,600 in official figures for the third quarter published tomorrow.

British electricals retailer Comet is set to enter into administration next week, the latest household name to fall by the wayside in the consumer downturn. Directors of the struggling company, which employs 6,500 staff in 240 stores, filed a notice on Thursday to a British court, a spokesman confirmed on Thursday. "Comet Group Limited can confirm that it has taken steps to seek the protection of the court with a view to the company entering into administration during week commencing Nov 5," the spokesman said.

Manganese Bronze Holdings Plc, maker of London's black taxi, said it appointed accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers as administrator as it looks to secure funding after a safety issue led to a product recall and a halt in sales, Reuters reported. "The administrators are reviewing the group's current financial position to develop a range of options to rescue the business or alternatively dispose of its assets to an investor that can secure the future of the London taxi," the company said.

A group of senior creditors in debt-laden Hibu are threatening to push the publisher of the Yellow Pages into liquidation, after the company failed to repay a £65m tranche of debt, the Financial Times reported. Last week, the telephone directory publisher, formerly known as Yell, said that it would suspend all further payments of principal and interest until it could restructure its £2.2bn net debt pile.

Scotland's largest architecture firm RMJM Group has performed a major corporate shake-up by putting three of its subsidiaries into receivership, The Herald Scotland reported. Insolvency professionals were appointed to RMJM Limited, RMJM Scotland and RMJM London after directors concluded the businesses could no longer continue to trade. In a statement, RMJM Group, run by Sir Fraser Morrison and his son Peter, said there was "a deep sense of regret" over the move.