Friday newspaper round-up: Sky/21st Century, Virgin Media, Brexit

Irish authorities have said they have clinched deals with more than a dozen London-based banks and finance houses to move some of their operations to Dublin in preparation for Brexit. As Dublin continues to battle with Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Paris for the Brexit spoils, the head of international financial services at Ireland’s Industrial Development Authority said definitive decisions had now been taken on an Irish location by these firms. – Guardian

Labour politicians told ministers “not to do a grubby deal with the Murdochs” in order to push through 21st Century Fox’s £11.7bn takeover of Sky after Ofcom warned there were serious concerns that any takeover would hand the family increased influence over news and politics in the UK. The MPs’ intervention came in response to the culture secretary telling the Commons on Thursday that she was “minded” to accept the regulator’s conclusion that the Competition and Markets Authority should conduct a full six-month examination of the deal. – Guardian

Virgin Media plans to make around 200 redundancies following a management shake-up at the cable operator. It is understood that staff at risk of losing their jobs were contacted by phone Thursday afternoon. The majority are thought to work at Virgin Media’s Hammersmith headquarters. – Telegraph

Small companies are more concerned about the threat posed by cybercrime than they are about Brexit, a new survey has revealed. A poll of 500 SMEs, conducted by Barclaycard, found that 44pc were worried about being hit by cybercrime or a data breach, following a spate of attacks that has hit organisations worldwide, including the NHS. – Telegraph

The tumbling cost of offshore wind power could mean that it turns out to be 25 per cent cheaper than energy from Hinkley Point nuclear plant when subsidies are awarded to new projects this year, the industry regulator has suggested. Developers behind a series of proposed offshore wind farms are vying to secure government contracts that will guarantee a price for the electricity they generate for 15 years. – The Times

Big businesses need up to a year to prepare for new customs arrangements to prevent trade with the EU grinding to a halt after Brexit, KPMG has warned. David Davis, the Brexit secretary, has said that he did not envisage Britain’s transition arrangements including a customs union with the EU or continuing with present arrangements. KPMG warned that the timescale now looks “frankly unrealistic”. – The Times