Wednesday newspaper round-up: Brexit, FTSE diversity, Sports Direct
Fruit and vegetables, flowers and olive oil will all become more expensive once the UK leaves the EU, no matter what trade deal is struck, City analysts have calculated. The price of food imported from the EU is likely to rise by up to 8% by the end of any transitional period as Britain is forced to impose extra border controls, making it more difficult to bring in foods that we cannot produce ourselves. – Guardian
The government has written to the chief executives of the biggest UK-listed companies urging them to improve diversity and echoing a call to publish a breakdown of their workforce by race and pay band. The business minister Margot James said all FTSE-350 companies should take up key recommendations from a recent government-backed review into race in the workplace by the businesswoman Ruby McGregor-Smith. – Guardian
One of Sir Philip Green's key lieutenants is leaving her job running Topshop for the same job at The White Company.Mary Homer, who has been managing director of the fashion retailer for 11 years and has worked for the billionaire since 1987, is to replace outgoing White Company boss Will Kernan, who left in February to run online sports specialist Wiggle. Sir Philip will now begin a search for a replacement for Ms Homer, who resigned a week ago but has yet to fix her departure date. – Telegraph
The Government has ruled out privatisation of Channel 4 after a lengthy review of the station's future. In a speech in Salford, the Culture Secretary Karen Bradley is expected to announce tomorrow that the broadcaster will remain under state ownership. However, she will also say that Channel 4's commitment to the nations and regions will face a further review. – Telegraph
A leading union official has accused the employment agency Transline of refusing to honour a deal to pay back thousands of pounds owed to workers at Sports Direct’s Shirebrook complex in Derbyshire. Steve Turner, assistant general secretary at Unite, told MPs yesterday that Transline was still refusing to refund some unpaid wages because they arose before it took over from rival agency Blue Arrow two years ago. – The Times
The AA and RAC are to compensate thousands of customers who paid twice for the same roadside breakdown cover. The AA, which has 3.3 million members, said yesterday that it was contacting 17,000 customers who may have also bought duplicate cover when they signed up to packaged current accounts sold by Lloyds Bank and TSB. – The Times