Sunday newspaper round-up: Brexit, Boris Johnson, People's Vote, Neil Woodford, Monzo, Barclays

Labour has announced that it plans to hijack Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal next week by whipping MPs to support amendments for a second referendum and customs union with the EU. Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, said that Labour backs an amendment demanding a confirmatory vote on any deal, which is expected to be tabled by backbenchers. - The Sunday Times

Boris Johnson has told the EU that he is “not asking” for a “deeply corrosive” delay to Brexit, as he ordered a senior diplomat to send an unsigned photocopy of the request drawn up by MPs asking Brussels for an extension. The Prime Minister phoned European leaders on Saturday night to declare that the letter MPs had forced the Government to send to Donald Tusk “is Parliament’s letter, not my letter”. A senior No 10 source said he was asking them to “invite Parliament to reconsider”, on the basis that “the best thing for the UK and Europe” is for Brexit to take place on Oct 31. - Sunday Telegraph

Boris Johnson could be held in contempt by a Scottish court after he urged EU leaders to ignore his letter asking for an extension to the Brexit deadline. Scotland’s most senior judge, Lord Carloway, and two other judges will hear allegations on Monday that the prime minister broke a promise he made to the court that he would not try to sabotage that request for an extension. - Observer

Michael Gove today guaranteed the UK will leave the European Union by October 31 as he claimed a letter asking the bloc for a Brexit delay will be withdrawn if MPs vote for Boris Johnson's divorce deal. European leaders are now considering their next move after Mr Johnson blindsided Remainers and triggered major outrage last night as he sent the EU three letters in a bid to thwart any Brexit extension. - Mail on Sunday

The little-known City institution that shut down Neil Woodford’s flagship fund, triggering the collapse of his empire, faces a growing backlash as evidence emerges that it had been planning the move for more than three months. Link Fund Solutions, which caught Woodford by surprise and shocked investors with its decision to liquidate his £3bn Equity Income fund on Tuesday, began laying the groundwork for the closure as long ago as July. - The Sunday Times

Businesses have urged MPs to back Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal and end the deadlock as early trading data indicated the latest delay will derail sterling’s strongest surge in a decade. The City faced more uncertainty after a vote on the prime minister’s deal was pushed back as businesses pleaded with the prime minister to stop the UK leaving the EU without a deal. - Sunday Telegraph

The EU will wait until the Brexit deal comes in front of MPs on Tuesday before making decisions on the terms of a further extension. With MPs likely to vote on a series of amendments to the deal including a confirmatory referendum, Brussels is reluctant to be dragged into the political drama in Westminster. - Observer

Commons Speaker John Bercow has been accused of 'straying' from the rule of law in a withering attack by one of his deputies. Dame Eleanor Laing suggested Mr Bercow had been 'aggressive and arrogant' as she laid out her pitch to replace him in the chair next month. - Mail on Sunday

One of Neil Woodford’s star biotech holdings is in the midst of a secret £1.6bn private fundraising - despite reportedly telling investors it was planning to float. Oxford Nanopore, a gene analysis “unicorn” set up 14 years ago, is understood to be courting investors. The company, which counted Woodford as an early backer, received £50m a year ago from Californian biotech giant Amgen, valuing it at £1.5bn. The latest fundraising could allow Woodford’s stake to be sold. - The Sunday Times

Graduates starting their new jobs at the Bank of England last month were asked to raise their hands if they used Monzo. Half of them had one of the app’s coral-coloured card in their wallet. The Bank, one of the world’s oldest financial institutions, wanted its next cohort of regulators to realise that the financial industry is changing fast and everyone needs to take notice. - Sunday Telegraph

The world is sleepwalking towards a fresh economic and financial crisis that will have devastating consequences for the democratic market system, according to the former Bank of England governor Mervyn King. Lord King, who was in charge at Threadneedle Street during the near-death of the global banking system and deep economic slump a decade ago, said the resistance to new thinking meant a repeat of the chaos of the 2008-09 period was looming. - Observer

Communities across the country are reeling over Barclays' cynical pledge to stop closing branches when it has already ruthlessly left many without a bank. This is against the backdrop of its controversial announcement earlier this month that it will stop letting its customers withdraw cash via Post Office branches from January. - Mail on Sunday

Business leaders expressed frustration last night that parliament had been unable to resolve Brexit uncertainty, and called for reassurances from the government that there was no prospect of leaving without a deal in 11 days. Analysts warned that sterling was likely to trade lower. “In the coming days the onus is on the government to answer the many questions businesses are posing on the prime minister’s deal and its potential impact on trade, investment, communities and jobs,” said Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce. - The Sunday Times

Sir Christopher Hohn, the hedge fund billionaire who this month revealed that his was the biggest individual donation to Extinction Rebellion, has quietly built a €730m (£630m) stake in the owner of Heathrow Airport. Spreading stakes across a number of investment companies, Sir Christopher has been able to keep a near-4pc position in Spanish construction and services behemoth Ferrovial under wraps. His investment raises the prospect of an audacious raid on one of the world’s biggest infrastructure companies. - Sunday Telegraph

Almost three-quarters of companies who have been given major government contracts have operations based in tax havens, according to a new report. Value Added, published on Sunday by the think tank Demos, reveals that 25 of the government’s 34 strategic suppliers – organisations that receive £100m or more in revenue from the government – operate in offshore centres. - Observer

Fears are mounting over troubles with 'peer-to-peer' companies as investors report slipping returns and delays to withdrawing funds. These companies match people who want good investment returns directly with borrowers in need of loans. But amid reports of a creeping fall in standards, the UK's financial regulator is now seeking to tighten its grip with its first major clampdown since taking charge of the sector five years ago. - Mail on Sunday