Friday newspaper round-up: Brexit, Turkey, Sports Direct, smart meters

Britain faces another year in the European Union if MPs refuse to approve a central part of Theresa May’s deal during an emergency sitting of parliament today. On the date the country was due to leave the bloc, the Commons will be asked to vote in favour of a stripped-down version of the deal, consisting of only the withdrawal agreement. - The Times

...No 10 is hoping that some Labour MPs could back the withdrawal agreement severing the UK’s membership of the EU, without the political declaration governing Britain’s future relationship with Brussels. However, it remains extremely unlikely to pass as Labour said it would never vote for a “blindfold Brexit”, while around 30 Eurosceptic Tories and the 10 Democratic Unionist MPs are also holding out against it. - Guardian

Supporters of a soft Brexit are in talks with the Democratic Unionist Party and Scottish Nationalists about keeping Britain in the customs union and single market after the country leaves. Before another round of voting on alternative Brexit proposals in the Commons on Monday, supporters of the so-called Common Market 2.0 proposal have been asked into meetings with both party leaderships. - The Times

Parliament must stop “chasing rainbows” and break the deadlock over Brexit to avoid inflicting further damage on the UK economy, business leaders have warned. In a further sign of the growing frustration over the government’s handling of Brexit, the head of the British Chambers of Commerce, Adam Marshall, called on MPs to end three years of going round in circles over the best way to leave the EU and urged them to take tough decisions to break the impasse. - Guardian

Europe could face shortages of tens of thousands of medical supplies such as pacemakers and blood-test machines within days of a no-deal Brexit, the German health minister has warned. Officials fear that in a messy divorce it would no longer be legal for hospitals in the EU to buy many medicines and technologies that are quality-tested in Britain. - The Times

Turkey is spiralling into deep economic crisis as foreign exchange reserves collapse and capital flight overwhelms the Erdogan regime. The central bank drove the overnight offshore swap rate above 1,300pc in a drastic attempt to defend the lira before national elections this weekend, but the currency continued to slide. It has lost 40pc of its value over the last year. - Telegraph

Consumer confidence is holding steady in the face of growing uncertainty about Britain’s departure from the European Union, according to a survey. The closely watched GfK consumer confidence index came in at -13 in March, unchanged from the previous month but down 6 points over the year. - The Times

Mike Ashley has lashed out at advisers to department store chain Debenhams after the tycoon's takeover approach was snubbed, and as he stands to be wiped out in a restructure. The billionaire Sports Direct owner had been attempting to seize control of Debenhams and install himself as chief executive, but on Thursday the retailer received approval from the majority of its bondholders to press ahead with an alternative £200m refinancing. - Telegraph

Britain’s smart meter rollout slowed again in the fourth quarter of last year in a further sign of the difficulties facing the struggling £11 billion programme. Fewer than 15 million meters had been fitted by the end of 2018, meaning installation rates would need roughly to quadruple to meet the target of installing 50 million meters in all UK homes by the end of next year. - The Times

The boss of Tesco has criticised those who look down on shop jobs, accusing ministers of sidelining the retail industry and prioritising car and steel manufacturers. Dave Lewis, who has led Britain’s largest supermarket chain since 2014, said the way people talked about his sector and the roles it created was “a source of anger”. - The Times

The energy and metals giant backed by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska has reported a surge in profits despite being under the threat of US sanctions for nearly a year. EN+, which listed in London in 2017, could soon restart dividend payments after chalking up a 40pc jump in pre-tax profit to $2.3bn (£1.8bn) last year, on revenues broadly flat at $12.3bn. -

Google's UK tax bill rose to £67m last year as the US internet company awaits Treasury plans to raise hundreds of millions of pounds with a tax on digital giants. Accounts for Google UK Limited revealed its corporation tax charge increased from £49.7m to £66.8m, after profits in Britain increased from £201m to £246m last year. - Telegraph

New York has taken legal action against the billionaire family behind Purdue Pharma, the company that makes prescription painkiller OxyContin, adding to the growing list of state and local allegations that the drugmaker drove America’s opioid epidemic. The state of New York, which averages nine opioid-related deaths a day, amended an existing lawsuit against the drug maker, adding members of the Sackler family as defendants. - Telegraph

Boeing is under fresh pressure with the World Trade Organization upholding claims that the US aerospace giant received billions of dollars in illegal subsidies and tax breaks. The ruling on Thursday comes as Boeing reels from two crashes of its bestselling 737 Max airliner with the loss of almost 350 lives, and the company scrambling to produce a fix for the grounded jets. - Telegraph

Ultra-fast electric vehicle forecourts will accelerate across UK motorways this year with the start of a billion-pound project to build 100 solar-powered sites. Taxis, buses and delivery vehicles will be able to charge up in under 30 minutes at forecourts equipped with their own solar panels and battery packs. - Telegraph

Tata has given the go-ahead for a £480m project to build Europe’s largest rubbish-fuelled power plant on one of its existing industrial sites in Northwich in Cheshire. The Indian conglomerate’s European chemicals arm has clinched a deal with a pair of infrastructure investors to build the new low-carbon power project in place of an old coal-fired plant. - Telegraph