Wednesday newspaper round-up: Avanti West Coast, British exporters, SoftBank
Northern political and transport leaders have called on the UK government to urgently review Avanti West Coast’s operations amid a renewed surge in intercity rail cancellations and delays. The intervention came as it emerged that morale at the train operating company has plummeted to the point where only 3% of staff say they feel valued, according to an internal Avanti survey seen by the Guardian. – Guardian
Almost two-thirds of British exporters have said selling to the EU has become harder in the past year, according to the British Chambers of Commerce, which is calling on the government to do more to smooth trade frictions post-Brexit. Three years on from Boris Johnson signing the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with the EU, the small businesses which make up much of the BCC’s membership are still struggling to negotiate trade barriers. – Guardian
The chief executive and owner of Arm met Jeremy Hunt in Downing Street on Tuesday as regulators unveiled reforms that could encourage the semiconductor giant to pursue a secondary listing in London. Rene Haas, the chief executive of the Cambridge microchip designer, and Masayoshi Son, the head of its majority shareholder SoftBank, were seen leaving Number 11 on Tuesday morning. – Telegraph
Journalists at the Financial Times are demanding a minimum starting salary of $80,000 (£63,000) in a dispute over pay. The newspaper’s American union is locked in discussions with bosses amid concerns that current wages are not “anywhere close” to livable. Under current plans, the FT’s US-based staff have been offered a minimum wage of $60,000. - Telegraph
Pressure is mounting on the deputy prime minister to intervene on national security grounds in the Abu Dhabi-backed bid to buy the Telegraph newspapers. Conservative MPs have demanded that Oliver Dowden use the National Security and Investment Act to investigate the United Arab Emirates’ takeover. However, it is understood that the Cabinet Office is not expected to issue a call-in notice on the acquisition imminently, despite an American intervention in a UAE purchase of Fortress Investment Group, of the United States. – The Times