Friday newspaper round-up: No-deal Brexit, Virgin Media, BBC, Poundworld collapse, crime, Novichok
Theresa May is to put the country on a no-deal Brexit footing this summer as she prepares a series of public warnings about the impact of leaving the European Union without agreement. Consumers and companies will be given detailed advice in weekly “bundles” from the start of next week on how to prepare for “a disorderly Brexit”, under government plans. - The Times
Millions of homes are due to be cut off from some of Britain’s most popular television channels this weekend after Virgin Media labelled the BBC a “dinosaur” with a “broken business model” in a bitter row over fees for UKTV, the broadcaster behind Dave and Gold. Ten channels run by UKTV, which is jointly owned by the BBC and Discovery, will be switched off in cable homes at midnight on Saturday and replaced in menus with new services. - Telegraph
Theresa May is to tell the European Union it is time to drop what she feels is their inflexible view on an Irish border solution and “evolve” their position to break the impasse in Brexit talks. In a speech in Belfast on Friday she is expected to brand the bloc’s calls for regulatory alignment north and south of the border as a “backstop” solution in the event of no deal as “unworkable”, and repeat her assertion that a border down the Irish Sea is unacceptable to any British prime minister. - Guardian
Thousands of jobs face the axe at budget retailer Poundworld as all of its 355 stores are set to shut by 10 August. The firm, based near Wakefield, had around 5,100 employees when it fell into administration in June after its majority owner, private equity group TPG Capital, failed to find a buyer. - Daily Mail
Murder, knife crime and gun offences soared in England and Wales last year and nine in ten crimes overall did not result in any charges, figures have shown. The proportion of offences that led to a charge fell by two percentage points to 9.1 per cent in the year to March compared with 15 per cent three years ago. - The Times
Russian agents responsible for the Novichok poisonings in Salisbury sent a coded message to Moscow which included the phrase, "The package has been delivered", it was claimed last night. A British intelligence listening station based in Cyprus, allegedly picked up the message shortly after former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia, were attacked in March. - Telegraph
Donald Trump has asked his administration to formally invite Russian president Vladimir Putin to visit Washington later this year, the White House announced on Thursday. Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said Trump asked his national security adviser John Bolton to extend the invitation to Putin for a “working level” dialogue between the two leaders. - Guardian
Hundreds of passengers were left stranded at the wrong airport this morning after eight flights into Gatwick were diverted when a plane performed an emergency landing due to a hydraulic fluid leak. Four flights were sent to Birmingham, two to Stansted and two to Luton after the British Airways flight from Naples was forced to perform the emergency manoeuvre. - Daily Mail
More than 70 per cent of shareholders in Royal Mail have voted against the pay of its new chief executive and his predecessor in what is one of the largest remuneration revolts at a British blue chip company. Rico Back was welcomed to the board with a £6 million “golden hello”, and Dame Moya Greene left with a near-£1 million “golden goodbye”. - The Times
Gaucho Group will make 540 staff redundant at its UK Cau restaurants after collapsing into administration. Administrators at Deloitte have decided to close all of the UK Cau sites, which are loss-making, and instead “focus on maximising the value achievable in the Gaucho business, which is profitable and underpinned by a strong brand”, they said. - Telegraph
Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal would inflict significant economic pain across Europe, leaving the region without any winners, the International Monetary Fund has warned. As the new Brexit secretary, Dominic Raab warned Europe to prepare for a no-deal exit, the IMF said such an outcome would hurt the UK most but would also have damaging economic consequences for Ireland and other EU nations. - Guardian
England's World Cup heroics did little to boost the UK's struggling retail market, but the team's run to the semi-finals did give some industries a kick in the right direction. Latest Government figures found that consumers steered clear of fashion, home and electricals shops during the dizzy heights of England's World Cup match days. - Daily Mail
Comcast has walked away from the takeover battle for 21st Century Fox’s entertainment empire, with the US cable group vowing to redouble its efforts to gain control of Sky. Its withdrawal from the fiercely contested bidding contest clears the way for Disney’s $71 billion acquisition of the bulk of 21st Century Fox, including its movie studio and its stake in the British pay-TV group. - The Times
The billionaire boss of Sports Direct says he will start “smashing into" Debenhams for not listening to his advice after the sportswear seller’s profit took an £85m hit on its stake in the troubled department store chain. Chief executive Mike Ashley said bosses at Debenhams had ignored his recommendations to start charging customers for click and collect, a service that has seen double-digit growth at the trainers-to-hoodies retailer. - Telegraph
If you are watching your weight but struggle to give up chocolate there may be some relief in view, because Cadbury is to launch a new version of its famous purple liveried Dairy Milk bars with 30% less sugar. The lower-sugar bar took a team of 20 scientists, nutritionists and chocolatiers almost two years to finesse, the company said. - Guardian
Drivers have been warned to watch out for major traffic jams this weekend with 3.8million extra cars expected on the roads on Friday. The M40, M5 and the A303 in the south and south west are expected to be the worst hit by delays of up to an hour and a half, with nine million extra drivers on the roads over the whole weekend. - Daily Mail