Wednesday newspaper round-up: Food security, Tesla, furlough

Farmers have accused the government of failing to listen to their warnings over the future of domestic food production, after concerns ministers would not increase the number of seasonal worker visas next year. The criticism came at a summit convened by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and attended by the environment minister, George Eustice, where food producers, processors and retailers urged government to fix supply chains to ensure food security. - Guardian

The biggest taxi firm in Paris said it was suspending the use of Model 3 Teslas in its fleet after a fatal accident in the French capital at the weekend. A driver lost control of his Tesla on Saturday night in the southeastern 13th district of Paris, killing one person and injuring 20, with three people in intensive care. Paris prosecutors on Saturday opened an investigation into the incident. - Guardian

Rishi Sunak must be ready to bring back the furlough scheme to save shops and restaurants, the International Monetary Fund has warned as the spread of the omicron variant threatens further restrictions on the economy. The international financial stability watchdog said the Chancellor should be ready to reintroduce targeted measures to limit the economic damage from any new rules. Whitehall officials are reportedly considering a “plan C” including mandating table service in pubs to ensure social distancing. - Telegraph

The City regulator gave a “free pass” to banking misconduct when it “wrongly” excluded about 10,000 businesses from a redress scheme for the mis-selling of interest rate hedging products, an independent review has found. John Swift QC concluded that the Financial Services Authority failed in its duties when it implemented an eligibility cap for victims of the scandal. - The Times

The energy watchdog is to apply more stringent checks on electricity and gas suppliers as part of a reform package designed to prevent a repeat of the crisis engulfing the industry. Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, said providers would be subject to “robust stress testing”, with executives also placed under greater scrutiny. He wrote in the Financial Times that the watchdog would use more sophisticated data analysis. - The Times