Friday newspaper round-up: Sky, Sports Direct, Channel 4, RBS

James Murdoch has warned the government not to turn its back on 21st Century Fox’s bid for Sky as the UK prepares to leave the European Union, claiming Brexit makes it more important than ever that the country attracts investment. Murdoch said he was looking forward to going through the regulatory process on the deal if the UK “truly is open for business”, and defended his track record as chief executive and chairman of Sky, saying that “has to count for something”. – Guardian

MPs on two parliamentary select committees have challenged Sports Direct over claims it is deliberately under-paying couriers by mislabeling heavy items, including bicycles, as lightweight packets to avoid paying the fair delivery cost. Frank Field, Labour MP and chair of the Commons work and pensions select committee, said he had written to Mike Ashley, the billionaire Sports Direct founder, to demand answers following concerns raised by a whistleblower at delivery company Hermes. – Guardian

The Government has signalled that significant parts of Channel 4 will be allowed to remain in London if the broadcaster agrees to move some programme commissioning and other teams. The Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said Channel 4 must establish a “major presence” outside the capital including decision making. – Telegraph

Nicky Morgan, the chair of the Treasury committee, has slammed the decision by City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) not to publish its full report into RBS's controversial restructuring arm. Pressure has been building on the FCA in recent weeks to publish its investigation into the taxpayer-owned bank’s Global Restructuring Group (GRG), after it was leaked to the BBC last month. – Telegraph

The head of Britain’s media watchdog has hit out at the government’s decision to ignore its advice on 21st Century Fox’s £11.7 billion bid for Sky after ministers rejected its recommendations. Ofcom had proposed that the deal be referred to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for further scrutiny on the grounds of media plurality but not broadcasting standards. Karen Bradley, the culture secretary, has overruled Ofcom’s recommendation and referred the deal to the CMA for an investigation on both counts. – The Times

Angela Merkel delivered a stern rebuke to car companies for “deceiving” drivers yesterday as she opened the Frankfurt Motor Show. Despite five years of sales growth, the days of the internal combustion engine seem numbered. Traditional European manufacturers are threatened by US upstarts embracing new technologies. – The Times