Friday newspaper round-up: Gambling ads, road building schemes, public sector pensions

Ministers have been urged to intervene to stop football clubs from setting their own rules on curbing gambling advertising, after research showed Premier League fans were bombarded with nearly 30,000 gambling messages on a single weekend. Clubs in the top flight have so far avoided compulsory restrictions on gambling sponsorship, instead addressing public concern through voluntary measures such as a ban on front-of-shirt logos, starting in 2026. – Guardian

Campaign groups have urged the government to cancel major road building schemes including the Lower Thames Crossing, amid growing speculation that ministers could divert money earmarked for new roads into rail and other public transport. The transport secretary, Louise Haigh, is due to decide in a week whether to sign off a development consent order [DCO] for the £9bn road crossing linking Essex and Kent. – Guardian

Rachel Reeves should cut public sector workers’ “extremely valuable” pensions at her maiden Budget, a leading think tank has said, amid continued pressure from unions over pay rises. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) told the Chancellor that there is a “good case” for lowering pensions for public sector workers to fund future pay rises after the Government granted inflation-busting settlements to doctors, teachers and nurses. – Telegraph

The furore engulfing the Financial Conduct Authority over its chairman’s failure to abide by its own whistleblowing policy has intensified after Ashley Alder resisted pressure to resign. A review undertaken by Richard Lloyd, the senior independent director on the regulator’s board, and published by the watchdog on Monday found that Alder “did not follow the policy to the letter” when he forwarded emails from two whistleblowers to senior colleagues without removing the individuals’ personal details or obtaining their consent. – The Times

A number of Rightmove shareholders have said the property website should start takeover talks with the Australian rival it has rebuffed. Rightmove has rejected three indicative offers from Rea Group as opportunistic, unattractive and undervaluing the company’s prospects. Jamie Forbes-Wilson, fund manager at AXA Investment Managers, which holds 1 per cent of Rightmove, said: “We would agree that it feels a little opportunistic for Rea to be coming along at this time, but it is also recognition that Rea sees Rightmove as the high-quality business that we, as long-term holders of the share, think that it is.” – The Times