Thursday newspaper round-up: Brexit, corporation tax, UK supermarkets

The French are blasé about Brexit while Swedes are more saddened than others in Europe by the UK’s vote to exit the EU, according to a survey. A 16-country poll by Ipsos Mori showed that almost half — 48 per cent — of respondents from Sweden said they were dismayed by the UK’s decision. It was a different story in France, where only a quarter of respondents said they were sad about Brexit. – Financial Times

An unprecedented international effort to stop some of the world’s largest multinational corporations – including Google, Amazon and Starbucks – avoid tax has offered only a “sticking plaster” solution that will not hold, according to a report published by a cross-party parliamentary group. After taking evidence from a range of experts, the all-party tax responsibility group, made up of British MPs and peers, found that G20 nations and others were still falling short in the battle against aggressive tax planning by big businesses. – Guardian

UK supermarkets are being urged by a consumer group to play their part in fighting obesity as research reveals more than half their recent promotions were for junk food, sweets and fizzy drinks rather than healthy options. Which? analysed data from price comparison website mySupermarket on special offers from Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose between April and June. Its researchers found that of the 77,165 promotions, 53% involved less healthy foods – those high in fat, saturates, sugar or salt – compared with healthier products (47%). – Guardian

Britain's energy industry is dying. While the US is striving for self-sufficiency in fuel and power as a primary goal of strategic security in a dangerous world, this country has acted with strange insouciance. We have let matters drift for so long that half of our nuclear reactors will be phased out over the next nine years with nothing ready to replace them. North Sea oil and gas is a spent reserve. Britain's dependency on imported fuels and electricity has jumped from 17pc to 46pc since 2000. – Telegraph

Fewer worries about the prospect of losing their jobs means that the amount of holiday British workers are taking has returned to pre-recession levels. New data from the Office for National Statistics shows that in the final quarter of 2015 and first quarter of 2016 a trend established itself with the amount of leave taken equal to or above the level last seen in 2007. – Telegraph

The number of jobs advertised last month was higher than at the same time last year, suggesting that Britain’s booming jobs market was not affected by the EU referendum result, according to Reed.co.uk, the recruitment website. There were 8.2 per cent more vacancies on offer last month compared with a year before, it said, as employers continued to take on new staff. – The Times

Seven and a half years since interest rates were last cut and four years after the last slug of quantitative easing, the Bank of England is expected to step back into policymaking today as it prepares to tackle the fallout from Brexit. A quarter-point reduction to 0.25 per cent is expected and may be combined with an extension of the cheap funding scheme for lenders. More quantitative easing may be on the cards but most economists believe the Bank will want to hold something in reserve, just in case. – The Times