Monday newspaper round-up: Boris Johnson, Cobham, Hong Kong
Boris Johnson has delivered an ultimatum to Philip Hammond and other rebel Tory MPs, warning they would be expelled from the party if they join forces with Jeremy Corbyn to try to halt a no-deal Brexit this week. In a plan agreed by a dozen whips and Mr Johnson at a lunch in Chequers, any Tory MP who defies Number 10 will lose the party whip and be banned from standing in the next general election. - The Daily Telegraph
Cobham’s British operations are assured according to Advent, the US private equity fund trying to buy the historic aerospace and defence company. In the first interview since management-backed £4bn bid for FTSE 250-listed company was revealed in July, Advent dismissed fears that US ownership would damage Britain’s industrial base by moving jobs abroad, and also pose endanger the UK’s national security. - The Daily Telegraph
Angry demonstrators used burning barricades to block roads in an attempt to paralyse Hong Kong’s airport yesterday after a night of violence in which police responded to fire bombs with tear gas, batons and water cannon. All transport links to and from the airport were cut off for hours, leaving travellers to arrive on foot as mass protests entered their 13th week. - The Times
UK house prices could crash by as much as a fifth if Boris Johnson pursues a no-deal Brexit, and the biggest falls would be in London and Northern Ireland, a leading accountancy firm has said. Reflecting the potentially vulnerable state of the property market as Brexit looms, KPMG said house prices would fall by between 5.4% and 7.5% across different regions next year if a new agreement with Brussels was not in place by 31 October. - The Guardian
The UK’s reliance on electricity imports has climbed to a record high amid fears that homes and businesses could face higher energy bills if the UK crashes out of Europe. The latest government figures, released just weeks before Britain’s exit from the EU, show that the UK’s net electricity imports reached their highest ever level in the first quarter of this year. - The Guardian