Thursday newspaper round-up: Asda, Heathrow, NMC Health, Royal Mail
Boris Johnson’s government has been told to “go big or go home” if it is to truly “level up” the country and heal social division, with the former head of the civil service warning that transport investment alone will not eliminate the imbalances between London and the rest of the UK. Bob Kerslake, who ran the civil service from 2011 to 2014, issued the ultimatum as head of the UK2070 commission, an independent inquiry into the deep–rooted geographical inequalities within the UK. – Guardian
Walmart is in talks to sell a majority stake in Asda, the UK’s third-largest supermarket chain. The US retailer said it was talking to a “small number of interested parties” about a possible investment in Asda. It is understood to be looking to retain a minority stake in the business, two decades after it moved into the British market by acquiring the grocer. – Guardian
The boss of Heathrow says Boris Johnson risks “walking naked” into post-Brexit trade talks if he refuses to back the building of a third runway following a crucial court ruling on Thursday. With the expansion decision on a knife edge, John Holland-Kaye warned that Britain will lose out to Continental rivals if the controversial plan is shelved - leaving the Prime Minister unable to fulfill his pledge to make the country a champion of free trade. – Telegraph
NMC Health has fired its chief executive after an investigation revealed the private hospital operator had been locked into secret loans to major shareholders' companies without the knowledge of the board. In an extraordinary statement published after markets closed on Wednesday, the FTSE 100 company said it had guaranteed loans taken out by companies owned by two major shareholders – including founder and former chairman BR Shetty. – Telegraph
Ballot papers for industrial action that could lead to the first national postal strike in more than a decade will be sent out next week. Yesterday the Communication Workers Union formally served notice of the ballot in a row over Royal Mail’s attempts to bring in automated parcel-sorting hubs and delivery schedules — or what the union called a campaign of “management propaganda, an insulting so-called ‘pay offer’ and impositions of drastic changes without agreement”. – The Times