Tuesday newspaper round-up: Brexit, business rates, Debenhams, Deliveroo

Theresa May has faced down cabinet critics of her Chequers plan and won backing from ministers to sell it to next week’s Conservative Party conference. The prime minister also secured cabinet agreement yesterday for a new immigration system after Brexit despite objections from Philip Hammond, the chancellor, on how the change should be managed. - The Times

Keir Starmer has been forced to reaffirm that Labour has not ruled out a referendum that could cancel Brexit, after John McDonnell appeared to insist the party could only back a vote on the deal itself. Labour has said it intends to vote against Theresa May’s deal, if it resembles the Chequers proposals set out in the summer white paper. However it is highly uncertain what would happen next if MPs reject her agreement. - Guardian

EU migrants will not be given preferential treatment after Brexit and the number coming to the UK will fall significantly under Government plans. Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, on Monday unveiled plans at Cabinet for a crackdown on the number of low-skilled migrants coming to the UK after Britain leaves the EU. - Telegraph

A Canada-style trade deal would enable Britain to dump “anti-competitive” European Union laws and embrace the “opportunities” of Brexit, senior Conservatives said yesterday. Setting out an alternative to Theresa May’s Chequers plan, leading Brexiteers backed a report that called for the EU to have no say over British laws on the environment, food standards and workers’ rights. - The Times

Debenhams is to shift its focus to newer but fewer items as speculation mounts over its financial health. The department stores chain will open a new outlet in Watford this week, with 25 per cent less stock and fresh products updated every week. - The Times

An overhaul to the system that allows companies to challenge their business rates bills has resulted in a service that is “unfair”, experts have warned. Almost nine in ten companies who are in the early stages of appealing against their rates bills are still dissatisfied with the new approach, according to a government survey. - The Times

Amazon has made two preliminary approaches for Deliveroo as the food delivery company is circled by ride-hailing giant Uber. Deliveroo, known for its green-jacketed bike couriers, has raised hundreds of millions of pounds in investment and is currently valued at about $2bn. - Telegraph

Food companies will be permitted to keep the amount of food they waste secret under a government-backed plan to cut the amount thrown away by two million tonnes a year by 2030. The plan acknowledges that greater transparency would drive action to cut waste but leaves it up to companies to decide whether to publish their figures. - The Times

The BBC’s weather forecasting provider is set to be sold at a loss to an industry rival. In a deal expected to be completed next month, Meteogroup, which is owned by General Atlantic, an American private equity firm, is being sold to TBG, an investment vehicle of the Thyssen-Bornemisza family. - The Times

The government is expected to bail out Liverpool’s new £335 million NHS hospital and take it back into public ownership, nine months after the failure of Carillion left the project in crisis. Carillion, the public sector contracting and construction group, collapsed in the new year with £2.6 billion of pension liabilities and £2 billion of debts. - The Times

The world’s leading cannabis producer is opening export channels to Britain as it prepares for the government to relax restrictions on medicinal marijuana. Canopy Growth, of Canada, expects an exponential increase in demand for prescriptions for cannabis-based medicinal products in Britain after restrictions are lifted shortly. - The Times

The world’s most used weedkiller damages the beneficial bacteria in the guts of honeybees and makes them more prone to deadly infections, new research has found. Previous studies have shown that pesticides such as neonicotinoids cause harm to bees, whose pollination is vital to about three-quarters of all food crops. Glyphosate, manufactured by Monsanto, targets an enzyme only found in plants and bacteria. - Guardian

The co-founders of Instagram have stepped down from the photo sharing app, six years after it was acquired by Facebook for $1bn (£760m). Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger informed Facebook's bosses of their resignation on Monday and plan to leave in the coming weeks, according to the New York Times. - Telegraph

Pandora, the US music company that was a pioneer in internet streaming, has been sold to Sirius XM, the paid-for radio business owned by cable tycoon John Malone, for $3.5bn (£2.7bn). The deal shows two of America’s biggest music services joining forces as they battle the rise of on-demand apps such as Spotify and Apple Music. - Telegraph