Thursday newspaper round-up: Woodhouse, Osborne, Boeing, Woodford

Two of the most senior advisers to Northern Powerhouse Developments, the company owned by embattled financier Gavin Woodhouse, have quit the business in the wake of a series of allegations about its finances. The departures have emerged a week after publication of an undercover investigation by the Guardian and ITV News, which raised questions about the business interests of Woodhouse, who has raised millions from private investors but whose firms have a multimillion-pound “black hole”. – Guardian

The UK competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the way Google and Facebook collect and exploit personal data and have used their power to dominate the £13bn UK digital advertising market. The Competition and Markets Authority’s wide-ranging investigation into online advertising will focus on the sector’s two biggest players, Google and Facebook, and look at whether “consumers are able and willing to control how data about them is used and collected”. – Guardian

George Osborne is considering putting himself forward to run the International Monetary Fund after Christine Lagarde was tapped to head the European Central Bank, The Telegraph can reveal. The move could place the former chancellor in direct competition with Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England, whom Mr Osborne appointed. – Telegraph

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has opened the door to keeping one of Britain’s busiest train lines in public hands until midway through the next decade. The nationalised operator of the East Coast mainline has been handed an extension of up to five years by the Department for Transport, according to filings made with European authorities. – Telegraph

Boeing has pledged $100 million in financial support to families and communities affected by crashes of its 737 Max aircraft, in which 346 people died. In an effort to restore its battered reputation, the company said that the fund would go towards living expenses and education for the bereaved families and also would be used to spur economic development in the affected communities. – The Times

The crisis engulfing Neil Woodford has intensified after it emerged that his investment firm is preparing to cut jobs. Woodford Investment Management, the Oxford-based company that the beleaguered stockpicker founded in 2014, has been plunged into turmoil after its main investment fund was frozen last month for an indefinite period to stop it from being overwhelmed by investor withdrawals. – The Times