Sunday newspaper round-up: Brexit, Morrisons, Extinction Rebellion
The Brexit negotiations will be over in days unless the EU realises Britain is serious about no-deal, government sources have warned. The eighth round of talks with Brussels begin on Tuesday, with progress crucial if the two sides are to finally reach an agreement. It comes as the Telegraph reported on Saturday that the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is to be sidelined in a bid to break the deadlock. But as the deadline on the discussions fast approaches, No 10 insiders say there will be no deal unless the bloc shows “more realism” on the “scale of the change that results from our departure”. - Sunday Telegraph
Supermarket giant Morrisons is poised to slash the price of hundreds of products as the industry braces for a major price war this autumn. The chain will tomorrow cut prices by an average of 23 per cent on 400 products, including fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, bread, breakfast cereal, rice, toilet rolls and cleaning products. The launch counters a separate move this weekend by rival Asda which has set aside £100million for a price campaign that will also see its Asda Price 'pocket tap' revived. - Mail on Sunday
Ministers and MPs from all parts of the political spectrum have condemned Extinction Rebellion for blocking the delivery of newspapers across the UK on Saturday. Four national newspapers, including the Sun and the Daily Mail, were missing from some newsagents’ shelves on Saturday morning after more than 100 environmental protesters targeted printing presses owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp on Friday evening. - Guardian
A row has erupted between Heathrow airport and British Airways over the plans to hand airlines a £500m bill relating to the airport’s controversial third runway. A regulatory consultation recommends allowing Heathrow to charge carriers for expansion costs incurred until February this year. Judges blocked Heathrow’s controversial £14bn expansion seven months ago over climate change concerns – but not before the airport spent hundreds of millions of pounds in preparation. - Sunday Telegraph
Britain will not 'blink' in crunch Brexit talks this week, Boris Johnson's chief negotiator has declared, in a marked ratcheting up of pressure on Brussels. In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Lord Frost warned his EU counterpart Michel Barnier the UK would not become a 'client state' of Brussels by accepting restrictions on fishing rights and vetos of our laws. - Mail on Sunday
Some of the world’s biggest buyout funds are circling FirstGroup’s American business as the top investor in the embattled bus and rail operator launches a fresh boardroom coup. The Sunday Telegraph has learnt Canary Wharf owner Brookfield, Apollo Global Management and KKR are among a slew of potential suitors for FirstStudent and FirstTransit. Sources said FirstGroup’s financial advisers had restarted a sales process in recent weeks and attracted significant private equity interest. - Sunday Telegraph
Tourism hotspots across the UK are extending the domestic season through autumn to recover business lost during the coronavirus lockdown. Blackpool’s illuminations will light up the seafront two months longer than usual, until January, while holiday park operator Haven will keep 16 of its holiday parks open for an additional four weeks until the end of November. Pembrokeshire and Cornwall are among the UK destinations following suit. - Guardian
Remote working could deal a blow of £15.3bn a year to the economy due to the impact on cleaners, coffee shops and security guards, according to accountancy firm PwC. The dent to GDP — about 1% — would be caused by lower spending from workers who are at home, and the knock-on impact of lower spending power for those who rely on them for work. - Sunday Times
Consumers are being asked to rifle through their bins in order to weigh and record their daily food waste, in an ambitious trial that aims to reduce the 6.6m-tonne mountain of food thrown away by UK households every year. The UK’s largest supermarket, Tesco, has linked up with the environmental charity Hubbub to run the six-week experiment in which families will receive advice on meal planning and food storage along with recipe tips for using up leftovers. - Guardian