Wednesday newspaper round-up: Brexit, Help to Buy, Thomas Cook, fracking

The EU has pencilled in April Fools’ Day 2020 as a leading option for Britain’s first day outside the bloc, should the UK government ask Brussels for a lengthy extension of article 50 in three weeks’ time, it can be revealed. The date was to be offered at the leaders’ summit last week if Theresa May had followed through on her promise to request a short extension in the event of passing her Brexit deal, and a longer one should it be rejected again by the House of Commons. - Guardian

Theresa May is preparing to bring her Brexit deal back to the Commons by the end of the week after being told by prominent Leavers that she is within sight of victory. Boris Johnson last night joined Jacob Rees-Mogg in warning of growing risks that another defeat would mean Britain remaining in the EU. Mr Rees-Mogg said that he now backed Mrs May’s deal, subject to support from the DUP. - The Times

Theresa May will be urged by her own MPs to name the date of her departure on Wednesday as the price of getting her Brexit deal through Parliament. The Prime Minister will attend a meeting of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs where she will be pressed to announce she will be gone by the autumn. - Telegraph

Jeremy Corbyn was considering throwing Labour’s weight behind a “common market 2.0” soft Brexit deal as MPs considered which options to back in indicative votes on Wednesday. MPs voted on Monday to seize control of the parliamentary timetable to allow the House of Commons to explore whether there could be support for alternatives to Theresa May’s twice-defeated deal. - Guardian

The housing secretary has warned housebuilders that they must end “unacceptable” punitive costs and “nightmare” snagging problems in new homes if they want to continue to benefit from the Help to Buy scheme. James Brokenshire launched a stinging attack yesterday, saying: “For most people, buying a home is one of the biggest financial and emotional investments of their lives. And for that to go from being a cherished dream to becoming a nightmare of snagging problems months after moving in and punitive costs is simply unacceptable.” - The Times

Thomas Cook is reviewing its money business in its latest attempt to cut costs and debt. The company said that the review would focus on “greater efficiencies across the business” and that options included bringing the leadership and running of the money business closer to its tour business. - The Times

Four men with links to the collapsed investment firm London Capital & Finance are in “personal possession or control” of millions of pounds that it raised from ordinary investors, according to a report by administrators. Smith & Williamson, the accountancy firm, said yesterday that it had identified “highly suspicious transactions involving a small group of connected people” that had resulted in “large sums of the bondholders’ money ending up in their personal possession or control”. - The Times

ENRC has lodged a $93m (£70m) claim against the Serious Fraud Office for costs it has incurred during an eight-year probe into alleged corruption. The Kazakh mining company, which was once in the FTSE 100, is also seeking as-yet unquantified damages for “consequential losses” that have arisen from potential partners being “put off” doing business with it. - Telegraph

Fracking should not go ahead in Britain until the government can ensure that the public will not have to pay for any clean-up, MPs have said. The public accounts committee, which scrutinises government spending, said that the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy had a “worrying lack of understanding” of the risk that it could be liable for decommissioning sites if companies failed to pay for it. - The Times

All new cars sold in the UK and Europe are to be fitted with devices to automatically stop drivers from exceeding the speed limit under sweeping changes to vehicle safety rules provisionally agreed by the EU. Although Britain may no longer be part of the EU when the rules come into effect, the UK regulator, the Vehicle Certification Agency, has said it will mirror safety standards for vehicles in the UK. - Guardian

The family behind the River Island clothing chain has taken control of Mint Velvet, the fashion label founded by three former Principles executives, in a deal understood to value the company in excess of £100m. The co-founders Peter Davies, Liz Houghton and Lisa Agar-Rea will share a multimillion-pound payout from the deal with the Lewis Trust Group (LTG). - Guardian

Lloyd's of London has promised to overhaul its culture following "distressing" allegations of sexual harassment and persistent bullying against female staff. The 333-year-old City institution has unveiled a string of new rules, including a lifetime ban for those who behave inappropriately, to address concerns after female staff said they were facing near-persistent harassment. - Telegraph

A gambling website blamed steep competition as it shut down its website in the UK and Ireland and halted trading. 188Bet, a former sponsor of Bolton Wanderers FC and the annual Chester Cup horse race, said yesterday that it would “cease to accept bets from customers” with immediate effect. - The Times