Monday newspaper round-up: BT, Vodafone, Issa brothers

British businesses are slowing down hiring just as the number of people looking for work rises, according to data that suggested “lingering uncertainty” over the economic outlook. The availability of candidates for new jobs rose in June at the sharpest rate since the height of the UK’s coronavirus restrictions in December 2020, according to the latest report on jobs by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG. – Guardian

Britain is returning to the gloom of the 1970s as customer satisfaction collapses at the fastest pace on record, new data shows. Energy and water companies were the worst performers in the country as high inflation and staff shortages triggered the sharpest year-on-year drop in customer satisfaction since the Institute of Customer Service began tracking the data in 2008. – Telegraph

BT is on high alert for a takeover spearheaded by its major shareholder Deutsche Telekom, in what would be a crucial test of Britain’s approach to European investment post-Brexit. The former state monopoly has intensified work with advisers from Robey Warshaw and Goldman Sachs on its defence in recent months amid strengthening rumours that its German counterpart, a 12pc shareholder in BT, was preparing an approach. – Telegraph

The UK chief executive of Vodafone has warned that investment in digital infrastructure will be cut and it will be unable to deliver on the government’s goals if it is prevented from merging with Three. Ahmed Essam said the business was not making the returns needed to cover its cost of capital and without the deal “we won’t be able to invest as much and we won’t be able to deliver the 5G ambition that’s coming in the wireless infrastructure strategy from the government. It will just slow us down.” – The Times

The billionaire brothers who own Asda are bankrolling a fledgling zero-emission lorry company and plan to create Britain’s first network of hydrogen fuel stations to support the decarbonisation of Britain’s 300,000 heavy goods vehicles. HVS, founded in Glasgow as Hydrogen Vehicle Systems in 2017, is testing and developing a lorry running on hydrogen fuel cells at the automotive industry’s Mira proving ground at Nuneaton, Warwickshire, after winning £21 million of taxpayer-funded grants. – The Times