Friday newspaper round-up: Consumer confidence, energy price caps, HMRC, Barclays

Rising inflation is taking its toll on British households, knocking consumer confidence to its lowest level since the aftermath of last summer’s Brexit vote. Pollsters YouGov said worries about job security and living costs pushed its monthly measure of consumer mood down a further 1.5 points to 108 in April, the weakest reading since last July. - Guardian

Theresa May’s plan to cap gas and electricity bills could put billions of investment in the UK at risk by creating huge uncertainty over government intentions, according to the body representing the big six energy suppliers. In one of the strongest warnings yet about the impact of the cap on standard variable tariffs pledged by the Conservatives, Energy UK protested against “ill-considered” political intervention. - Guardian

Serious doubts have been raised by MPs over HM Revenue & Customs’ hopes to save more than £500m by condensing its sprawling office estate into just a handful of giant hubs. The powerful Public Accounts Committee has questioned whether the 10-year scheme to reduce HMRC’s 170 offices to 13 regional bases in city centres, along with four specialist centres and a London headquarters will deliver the expected economies. - Telegraph

Britain is the number one destination in Europe for foreign direct investment, according to figures that revealed a surge in inflows to levels not seen since before the financial crisis. In a vote of confidence in Brexit Britain, UK FDI inflows soared to $253.7bn (£197bn) in 2016, up from £33bn the previous year, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). - Telegraph

Barclays has been dealt another blow over the future of its embattled chief executive after a corporate governance firm advised shareholders not to back his re-election to the board. Institutional Shareholder Services, whose clients include many British investors, said that because Jes Staley was under regulatory investigation for breaking rules to protect whistleblowers, investors should abstain from the vote at the bank’s annual shareholder meeting on May 10. – The Times

An advertiser boycott of YouTube in the wake of an extremist video scandal appears to have done little to dent the fortunes of its owner, Google. Soaring advertising sales at Google helped Alphabet, its parent company, beat Wall Street expectations with its financial results last night, sending shares higher in after-hours trading. – The Times