Gossip: Bayer Leverkusen want £127m for Wirtz
Liverpool have agreed a contract with Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz until 2030, but have yet to agree a fee for the 22-year-old, with Bayer Leverkusen rejecting a 130m euros (£110m) offer from the Reds as they hold out for 150m euros (£127m). (Bild - in German), externalBarcelona have started initial talks with Liverpool winger Luis Diaz, 28, with interest from Saudi Arabia for the Colombian. (Florian Plettenberg), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip columnFollow the gossip column on BBC Sport
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Times
7 minutes ago
- Times
Plea to Starmer over ‘devastating' cost of employment rights bill
Businesses keeping Britain's hospitals, train stations, airports, offices, warehouses and factories clean, maintained and secure have warned the prime minister of the 'devastating impact' of the government's employment rights bill. In an open letter to Sir Keir Starmer, his deputy Angela Rayner and the business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, the 128 companies — including the sector leaders OCS Group, Churchill Group and Mitie — urged the government to rethink its plans. The letter highlighted what its authors believe will be the 'serious unintended consequences' from the large-scale changes to employment law proposed by the legislation, which is passing through parliament. The reforms include making protection from unfair dismissal a right from the first day of employment, increased union representation and more generous sick pay, which has to be paid for by businesses. • Workers' bill 'won't work unless tribunal backlog is cleared' 'We are deeply concerned that some of the bill's provisions … could harm both good employers and the very employees that the bill seeks to protect,' the authors of the letter say. The additional costs or risks of hiring the wrong person for a role would 'force some employers to reduce staff headcount or reduce their hours, turn down new contracts, or even exit the market altogether,' they added. Dominic Ponniah, chief executive of the office and commercial cleaning company Cleanology and a co-author of the letter, said concerns had been building about the negative impact of the legislation for some months, but they had come to a head once facilities management firms had seen the impact on their operating costs of April's rise in employers' national insurance to 15 per cent. 'Suddenly people are feeling that on their bottom lines and we need to make our voice heard,' he said. The 128 signatories of the letter also include Josie Marshall-Deane, regional director of OCS Group, whose services include passenger screening, surveillance and emergency response at airports, and Charlotte Parr, executive director of Churchill Group, which is majority-owned by 10,000 of its employees and works to maintain social housing for housing associations, among other services. The facilities management industry overall employs 1.4 million people and generates £60 billion for the economy, making it many times more important for economic growth than other more favoured industries such as fashion and farming, the authors note. It is dominated by thousands of small and medium-sized companies, typically operating on tight profit margins. They said the changes to employment law 'risk penalising the good companies while doing little to deter the bad players'. The companies make clear their support for the government's efforts to tackle exploitative labour practices and establish fair treatment of agency workers. The government is phasing in the introduction of the new rights, which it has calculated could add £5 billion in costs to the economy each year. Smaller companies will be hit disproportionately, it acknowledges. It has said most of the new rules would not take effect until next year. A Government spokesperson said: 'Insecurity and poor health at work aren't just bad for workers, they also impact productivity and drive down competitiveness in businesses and the wider economy. 'That's why through our transformative plan for change, this government is delivering the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation, and our measures already have strong support amongst business and the public. 'We've consulted extensively with business on our proposals, and we will engage on the implementation of legislation to ensure it works for employers and puts money back into the pockets of working people.'
Auto Blog
an hour ago
- Auto Blog
Why Stellantis and Amazon Axed Their SmartCockpit Partnership
The car conglomerate and e-commerce and tech giant were slated to release an in-car infotainment system by 2024. A product made for the future Back in January 2022, Stellantis, the multinational automaker that is the parent company of American brands like Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, as well as European powerhouses like Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati, announced a multiyear agreement revolving primarily around in-cabin software. The main product from the Amazon-Stellantis link-up was called SmartCockpit, a 'software-defined platform' that was intended to 'seamlessly integrate with customers' digital lives' and ship in global Stellantis vehicles by 2024. 0:04 / 0:09 Audi A5 replaces A4: So, what's changed? Watch More Reuters: Stellantis and Amazon's SmartCockpit is no more However, a new report from Reuters confirms that Amazon's deal with Stellantis to create this software is sunsetting after it missed the 2024 deadline. In a statement sent to the newswire, neither Stellantis nor Amazon told Reuters exactly why they had come to the decision. Still, they noted that each company would continue on its separate path. 'Stellantis remains a valuable partner for Amazon, and the companies continue to work together on a range of initiatives,' the two companies wrote in a statement to Reuters. They added that the break 'will allow each team to focus on solutions that provide value to our shared customers and better align with our evolving strategies.' Amazon, Stellantis had big goals for SmartCockpit The goal of SmartCockpit was to turn ordinary Chryslers, Dodges, Jeeps, Rams, as well as Fiats, Alfa Romeos, and Maseratis, into software-defined vehicles like those of rivals like Tesla, Rivian, and BYD. In Stellantis's 2022 release announcing and detailing its plans to develop SmartCockpit, the two companies said that the software in Stellantis-branded cars will 'seamlessly integrate with customers' digital lives to create personalized, intuitive in-vehicle experiences through AI-enhanced applications for entertainment, Alexa-enabled voice assistance, navigation, vehicle maintenance, ecommerce marketplaces, and payment services.' The 'STLA SmartCockpit platform,' as it was called, would use purpose-built Amazon products for Stellantis, integrate Amazon's Echo and Alexa smart home and security ecosystem, and create a smartphone-like in-car software experience tailored for specific vehicles and their owners. 'For example, Chrysler Pacifica vehicles could offer a family-trip planner that recommends media content, points of interest, restaurants, and other fun stops along the route,' Stellantis said. ' Jeep® vehicles could come with a digital off-road 'coach' to help customers calibrate the vehicle and optimize performance before tackling tough terrain.' At the time, then-Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares called the Amazon partnership 'an integral part of our capability building roadmap,' adding that Amazon's tech prowess would help transform the driving experience of its vehicles. 'By leveraging artificial intelligence and cloud solutions, we will transform our vehicles into personalized living spaces and enhance the overall customer experience, making our vehicles the most wanted, most captivating place to be, even when not driving,' Tavares said. Final thoughts The end of this partnership comes as Stellantis enters a transition period following the tenure of Carlos Tavares, with the newly appointed CEO, Antonio Filosa, taking the helm in June. I think that the rather quiet realization of the end of this partnership goes to show that Stellantis is prioritizing its approach going forward. That being said, the fact that we are in the era of the software-defined vehicle is rather interesting, especially considering that companies like Google (with Google Built-in) and Apple's CarPlay Ultra are making their way to dominate every screen on dashboards. If it came to light, having Amazon in the mix would have been a very left-field option. About the Author James Ochoa View Profile
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE More signs all is not well in the Trippier household: England star Kieran heads on luxury family holiday to Turkey without wife Charlotte as pair 'still together but living separate lives'
Kieran Trippier and his wife have been on social media documenting their seemingly separate lives as the former England star posted about a family holiday abroad, while his wife revealed she was enjoying a 'blissful time' catching up with friends at home. The Newcastle full-back and his three children Jacob, eight, Esme, six, and Isla, three, were instead joined by his mum Eleanor on the sunshine break in Turkey. Trippier, 34, documented his trip on Instagram, posting a series of snaps, where he maintained his fitness by taking part in gruelling workouts alongside Newcastle teammate Jamaal Lascelles and Magpies assistant coach Jason Tindall. His son Jacob also joined in the sessions wearing a Newcastle training kit. He also posed up for cute snaps with his daughters at the luxurious resort. Charlotte, 35, meanwhile, took to her Instagram to boast about a week of 'true bliss' catching up with friends, spending time with her own mother and going on hikes. It's not the first time Trippier - who has also been spotted on a lads break in Ibiza - has posted getaways on his social media minus his wife, who last featured on his Instagram in December 2022. The ex-Spurs and Atletico Madrid footballer documented trips to see Father Christmas and Hertfordshire Zoo over the last year, where Charlotte has seemingly been absent. The couple - who do not follow each other on social media and have both ditched their wedding rings - sparked rumours about their marriage last summer when Charlotte did not take her place alongside fellow WAGs watching Trippier and his England teammates during the Euros in Germany. She cryptically posted in the group stages: 'Sooner or later you get over the s*** you swore you'd never get over and it's the best feeling in the world.' The message came after Trippier was photographed lifting up a blonde girl while with Newcastle teammates at a packed karaoke bar in 2023. He cuddled the woman before wrapping his arms around her and then picking her up by the bottom, while Charlotte was holidaying in Spain. It was reported Charlotte had relocated 200miles away from Trippier, who is based in the North East, and enrolled their children in an exclusive private school after moving into a £3.85million mansion in Cheshire last summer. The couple's £3.8million, six-bed mansion in Northumberland, was also reportedly put up for sale. Tripper last featured on Charlotte's Instagram in May last year when she posed on the pitch with her husband and three children at St James's Park on the final game of the 2023/24 season, writing 'Last game of the season which went far too quick.' The defender posted a snap from this season's final home game of the season last month, but this time Charlotte was absent, with his mum once again filling in the void. He captioned the snap: 'Final game of the season very proud as always to have my family there to watch and support.' Meanwhile, it was reported last month Trippier was 'stitched up' by a group of friends who spent close to £10,000 on a strip club bill - before putting his name on the tab. Reports claim the Newcastle star was not present at the club - however his name still appeared on the bill, which included 76 £100 tokens for personal dances. The bill was a staggering £9,663 and was believed to have been racked up by Trippier's friends who play for National League side Gateshead. A source told The Sun: ''Kieran has visited FYEO before but this bill was run up by some of the lads he knows at Gateshead. He wasn't there.
