Monday newspaper round-up: Brexit, G4S, Sainsbury's, banks

Britain’s political landscape has already been reshaped irrevocably by the Brexit vote. But there is a growing feeling at Westminster that the deep divisions over whether, and how, Britain should break from the EU, cannot be contained within the existing party system. - Guardian

Ministers are facing calls to preserve a focus on Britain’s trade with the European Union as they hunt for new markets ahead of Brexit. Business leaders are also urging the government to provide the smallest companies with as much trade aid and support as its largest and to focus on “essentials”, such as improving broadband and patching up roads. - The Times

After years of tough austerity measures, Greece emerged on Monday from its third and last bailout, although officials warned the country still has a “long way to go”. The European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund loaned Greece a total of €289bn ($330bn) in three programmes, in 2010, 2012 and 2015. - Guardian/AFP

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been forced to take immediate control of HMP Birmingham from its contractor G4S, after a damning inspection found that prisoners used drink, drugs and violence with impunity and corridors were littered with cockroaches, blood and vomit. The government is having to take the unprecedented step of seizing control of the failing prison, removing its governor and sweeping out hundreds of prisoners on Monday, just hours before an extraordinarily critical report is released by the prisons inspectorate. - Guardian

J Sainsbury and Asda could have to dispose of stores in up to 300 locations across Britain if the two grocers are to succeed in convincing regulators to approve their proposed merger. In a sign of the potential regulatory challenge facing the companies, an analysis by The Times and industry bodies using modelling techniques typically employed by the Competition and Markets Authority shows that there are at least 300 catchment areas where the merger could run into local competition concerns. - The Times

Italy’s populist government is drawing up a ‘Marshall Plan’ of up to €80bn to rebuild the country’s dilapidated infrastructure after the Genoa bridge collapse, seizing on the politically-charged disaster to smash EU budget rules. Officials aim to invoke the ‘Golden Rule’ championed by Britain’s Gordon Brown to remove chunks of public investment from the headline budget deficit, a ruse that would make it easier for the radical Five Star-Lega coalition open the floodgates of fiscal stimulus and reflate Italy’s stagnant economy. - Telegraph

Shareholder payouts have hit a new record as global dividend payments inched towards the $500bn mark, according to a new study. Investors around the world enjoyed a 13pc increase in dividends for the three months to June after only a handful of companies, including European banks Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse as well as French energy giant EDF, decided to cut their shareholder payouts for the period. - Telegraph

Britain's big banks have been criticised for their slow take-up of so-called “Open Banking” reforms designed to spark a digital revolution in banking. The rules kicked in at the start of the year to make it easier for people to move their financial data to rival service providers. - Telegraph

MPs are asking for their expenses budgets to be increased to help them manage an increased workload resulting from Brexit, the parliamentary watchdog has revealed. A poll last year of MPs and their staff by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said there had been demands from politicians and staff to give them more money to cover their higher costs. - Guardian

Britain’s manufacturing industry has fallen to ninth in the world behind France, reversing a recovery in its performance since the financial crash. The UK’s total manufacturing output stayed ahead of Brazil and Indonesia but slipped below France and remained well adrift of Germany in fourth position and Italy in seventh at the end of 2016. - Guardian

Tougher demands by European Union regulators may force banks to shift more jobs to Frankfurt, Paris and Dublin than originally planned due to Brexit, a senior City executive has warned. Tracy Clarke, Standard Chartered’s CEO for Europe and the Americas, said the bank has been waiting nearly nine months for EU officials to approve an operating licence that will turn its Frankfurt branch into a subsidiary, but regulators have yet to make a decision. - Guardian

The government is facing pressure to bolster the rules around pre-pack administrations after figures showed that a voluntary scheme was being shunned. Only 11 per cent of eligible cases were referred to the Pre Pack Pool last year, its annual report shows, with its directors acknowledging that there are no penalties to compel purchasers to make referrals. - The Times

A City body that represents the financial and professional services industries has been criticised by one of its own members over a plan to collaborate with Russian financial groups, despite tensions between London and Moscow over the deadly nerve agent attack on British soil. The City UK’s project to work with Russia’s central bank and the state-backed Moscow International Financial Centre also involves the UK government, because the British embassy is involved and public funds administered by the Foreign Office are set to be used to send UK-based business people on trips to Moscow. - The Times

Britain's pensions watchdog has had to drop 74 fines against fund trustees after messing up its enforcement timetable, it has emerged. The Pensions Regulator (TPR) admitted in an update published this month that the penalties were revoked between April and June this year. - Telegraph

Households are facing a further round of energy price rises despite the introduction of the government’s price cap, industry experts have warned. Ministers have promised to protect 11 million households on default tariffs with a cap by the end of 2018. - Guardian

More than half of the British public would install solar panels and home batteries to tackle climate change if there was greater assistance from the government, polling has found. While many have already made their home more energy efficient, 62% said they wanted to fit solar and a surprisingly high 60% would buy an energy storage device such as those sold by Tesla. - Guardian

The number of households switching energy supplier can be dramatically boosted by removing the requirement for users to provide details of their energy tariff and consumption, a pilot project has found. A trial of 50,000 people showed that simplifying the switching process led to more than one in five people moving to a better deal, eight times as many as normal. - Guardian

The co-founder of Arm Holdings, formerly Britain's biggest listed technology company, has said China will easily beat the US in a battle for control of the global semi-conductor market. Hermann Hauser, a pioneer of the Cambridge chip design scene who founded Arm's parent company Acorn and engineered its spin-out during the 1990s, told the Telegraph China was set to "clearly take over" the US in the industry. - Telegraph

Uber drivers and Amazon couriers may be at a higher risk of crashing because of the demands of gig economy work, a new study suggests. Researchers from University College London (UCL) found that 42% of drivers who picked up work through apps had damaged their vehicle in a collision at work. - Guardian

Vineyards in Bordeaux are selling for millions of euros per acre as investors seek to capitalise on the global taste for claret. Figures released by the French government last week showed businesses and wealthy individuals paying more than ever before for vineyards in the most renowned areas of Bordeaux’s wine-growing region. - The Times

Amazon is hoping to capitalise on the turmoil on the high street as it circles Homebase stores in a bid to expand its delivery empire. The internet retailer has emerged as an aggressive bidder for a tranche of stores Homebase is looking to offload through a sweeping restructure of its business, sources have said. - Telegraph

US car giant Ford has issued an ominous warning to UK politicians that it will do whatever it takes to protect its profits after blaming Brexit for a near-$1billion fall in 2017 earnings. The firm, which employs 9,000 people in this country, is also expecting to make a loss in Europe, including the UK, this year. - Mail