Sunday newspaper round-up: Coronavirus vaccine, UK-US trade, Shell

British officials are preparing a rescue strategy to save the UK-US free trade deal if Joe Biden wins the American presidency in a little more than a week amid fears talks could be pushed to one side and indefinitely delayed. UK government figures are ready to reach out to influential people around the Democratic presidential nominee within days of a victory result and have been making a concerted effort in recent weeks to open back channels. - Sunday Telegraph

Shell has begun a search for a new chairman, with Andrew Mackenzie, the former BHP Billiton boss, emerging as an early front-runner The Anglo-Dutch oil major is seeking a replacement for the incumbent Charles Holliday to help steer it through a tricky shift away from fossil fuels, following its first dividend cut since the Second World War earlier this year. City sources expect Mr Mackenzie, who joined the Shell board as a non-executive director at the start of this month, to be promoted to chairman. - Sunday Telegraph

McCarthy & Stone faces discontent from investors over its takeover, as fund managers fear the pandemic and Brexit uncertainty could unleash a wave of cut-price private equity deals. [...] Richard Marwood, a fund manager at Royal London — McCarthy’s third-biggest shareholder with a 5% stake — said the Lone Star bid was “opportunistic at a time when there is operational uncertainty”, and that the "longer-term value of this business could be greater". - Sunday Times

Asset manager Liontrust says there is growing interest in sustainable investing because of Sir David, which has prompted an increasing number of people to care about how they make their money as well as how much money they make. Liontrust has seen the assets in its range of sustainable funds grow from £2.5billion in April 2017 to £7.5billion - and research it has recently conducted shows that 74 per cent of private investors say sustainability is important in their everyday life. With only 43 per cent of these people investing sustainably, demand is expected to continue to grow. - Mail on Sunday

Banks have begun stockpiling cash to pay out bumper bonuses in the New Year, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Documents show Barclays has boosted this year's bonus pool for bankers by 9 per cent to £745million – £63million more than it set aside last year – after making huge profits at its investment bank. - Mail on Sunday

The finance director of EG Group recently considered quitting the Issa brothers’ rapidly expanding petrol station empire, which is battling to shake off concerns over corporate governance as the Issas prepare to acquire Asda. Multiple sources said that Michael Hughes, 51, had planned to resign and take up a post at a different company at the end of the year. His departure would have spooked EG’s debt investors, which are reeling from the news that the group’s auditor, Deloitte, quit over concerns about its governance and controls. - Sunday Times

Emmanuel Macron has vowed to scupper any Brexit deal that “sacrifices” French fishermen, but faces a growing swell of pressure from Germany and other EU states to accept less access to British waters. The French president’s hard line on fishing rights is one of the last remaining obstacles to an agreement. But with just a year and a half to go before national elections, being seen as the defender of France’s coastal communities could prove a valuable campaign asset for Mr Macron. - Sunday Telegraph