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Business live: Trump to send out tariff letters at noon

Business live: Trump to send out tariff letters at noon

Times15 hours ago
Alpha Group International, the London-listed financial services group chaired by Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, has extended the deadline for a firm offer from US rival Corpay.
The company said it has 'held constructive discussions with Corpay, which are advancing, and believes that it is in the best interests of shareholders to continue this engagement'.
The Takeover Panel has consented to moving the deadline from today until July 24.
Corpay is a S&P 500 company. It has been in discussion with Alpha about a possible cash deal since May.
PHP: The healthcare real estate investment trust has reported 'improving rental growth and stabilisation in yields', which it claimed underpinned valuation growth and was further evidence of an inflexion point in the cycle.
Last month, the board of PHP recommended that shareholders accept a cash and share takeover bid from rival Assura, which then valued the business at £1.79 billion, dropping its previous recommendation for a rival bid from KKR and Stonepeak, the American private equity firms.
Shell: In a brief trading update before publishing second-quarter results at the end of the month, the oil company said that 'trading and optimisation' revenues are expected to be significantly lower than in the first three months of the year.
Plus500: The online trading group has reported a 4 per cent rise in revenue to $415.1 million in the six months to the end of June. The FTSE 250 group said it would announce new shareholder returns, comprising dividends and share buybacks, alongside interim results in August.
The UK housing market was steady in June, with house price growth flat compared to a dip of 0.3 per cent in May, figures from mortgage lender Halifax showed.
The average property price is now £296,665 compared to £296,782 last month. The annual rate of growth edged down to 2.5 per cent from 2.6 per cent in May.
Amanda Bryden, Halifax's head of mortgages, said: 'The market's resilience continues to stand out and, after a brief slowdown following the spring stamp duty changes, mortgage approvals and property transactions have both picked up, with more buyers returning to the market
Halifax said first-time buyer numbers have returned to pre-stamp duty change levels.
Last week, rival mortgage lender Nationwide reported that house prices fell by the most in more than two years in June as an increase in stamp duty costs dampened demand. Property prices fell by 0.8 per cent month-on-month to £271,619. The annual rate of house price growth slowed to 2.1 per cent in June, from 3.5 per cent a month earlier.
US President Donald Trump has announced that tariff letters or deals with multiple countries will be delivered later today.He said on his social media platform Truth Social: 'I am pleased to announce that the UNITED STATES TARIFF Letters, and/or Deals, with various Countries from around the World, will be delivered starting 12:00 P.M. (Eastern), Monday, July 7th. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, President of The United States of America.'Stock markets slipped in Asia amid concerns about the lack of detail. The dollar weakened against a basket of currencies.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNN yesterday that Trump was going to be sending letters to some trading partners saying that 'if you don't move things along, then on August 1 you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level'.
The president announced a 10 per cent base tariff rate on most countries in April and higher 'reciprocal' rates ranging up to 50 per cent, with an original deadline of this Wednesday.
However, he also said levies could range in value from 'maybe 60 per cent or 70 per cent', and threatened an extra 10 per cent on countries aligning themselves with the 'anti-American policies' of the BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
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MPs to vote on making Premier League games free-to-air
MPs to vote on making Premier League games free-to-air

Telegraph

time20 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

MPs to vote on making Premier League games free-to-air

MPs are to vote on a proposal to force the Premier League to make at least 10 games a season free-to-air by law. An amendment to the Football Governance Bill has been tabled by the Liberal Democrats, giving Parliament its first say on whether the world's richest league should remain entirely behind a paywall. A pledge to make at least 10 Premier League matches a season free-to-air was part of the Lib Dems' General Election manifesto but it failed to gain support from Labour and the Conservatives and there has been no sign of that having changed since. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer would therefore be able to use his large parliamentary majority to crush the proposal by Sir Ed Davey's party upon it being put to a vote of MPs on Tuesday. The amendment being tabled would also require the new Independent Football Regulator to ensure that the League Cup final and the English Football League's play-off finals were shown free-to-air. But the Lib Dems' primary target is the Premier League, for which virtually every match has been exclusively behind a paywall since its inception 33 years ago. Davey's party cited analysis that showed armchair fans would have to cough up £660 to watch every game next season under the competition's latest TV deals with Sky Sports and TNT Sports, as well as figures showing viewership on the channels fell 10 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively, last term. It also pointed out that La Liga's partnership with streaming service DAZN included one free-to-air game a week. Max Wilkinson MP, Lib Dem spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport said: 'I'm urging MPs of all stripes to back our amendment to tear down the paywall and make Premier League games available on free-to-air channels. 'For too long, the jewel in the crown of British football has been locked behind an expensive barrier that keeps fans out while lining the pockets of broadcasters. 'Fans are being rinsed of every last penny to watch the beautiful game, while the next generation of Bellinghams and Bronzes are priced out of the chance to see football played at the very top level. 'That must end today – with a free-to-air revolution that gives the Premier League back to the country.' The Premier League declined to comment but Telegraph Sport has been told that making games free-to-air would inevitably reduce the value of its UK broadcast contract and put at risk some of the millions it redistributes within football and to other causes. This is a political football – free-to-air Premier League action is years away There have long been calls for the Premier League to make some of its matches free-to-air but MPs have never voted on a proposal to force it to do so by law. And before anyone gets carried away – including at the likes of the BBC or ITV – they should take note of the fact that Tuesday's vote has been orchestrated by the Liberal Democrats. Indeed, there has been no sign of the Lib Dems' amendment to the Football Governance Bill being backed by Labour or the Conservatives, both of whom have had plenty of opportunities in the last 33 years to do something akin to what Sir Ed Davey's party is proposing. Of course, the latter knows this and is doubtless using the issue as a political football weeks after England fans turned on Sir Keir Starmer during the country's World Cup qualifier against Andorra. Given the crises engulfing the Prime Minister over issues such as his botched flagship welfare reforms and cuts to winter fuel payments, painting him as the celebrity Arsenal fan who refuses to support making some Premier League games free feels like an open goal in the current climate. According to analysis cited by the Lib Dems, both Sky Sports and TNT Sports experienced a decline in Premier League viewership last season. At least part of that decline would have been down to illegal streaming, with Telegraph Sport chronicling earlier this year how many fans appeared to have shunned expensive subscriptions in favour of cheap modified Fire Sticks. With more Premier League matches than ever being shown live in the UK next season – 270 versus 200 – via one fewer broadcaster, executives at Sky and TNT will be hoping that represents increased value for money.

Angela Rayner to ban businesses from using NDAs to cover up harassment and discrimination
Angela Rayner to ban businesses from using NDAs to cover up harassment and discrimination

The Independent

time24 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Angela Rayner to ban businesses from using NDAs to cover up harassment and discrimination

UK businesses will be barred from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of harassment and discrimination as a part of the government's bid to boost workers' rights. Angela Rayne r has proposed an amendment to the Employment Rights Bill which would void and prohibit such agreements against employees in such situations to prevent people from having to 'suffer in silence'. The deputy prime minister said the government had 'heard the calls from victims of harassment and discrimination', as she announced the move following repeated calls from campaigners and Labour politicians. Zelda Perkins, Weinstein's former assistant and founder of the campaign group Can't Buy My Silence UK, said the move was 'a huge milestone'. She said: 'For years, we've heard empty promises from governments whilst victims have continued to be silenced, to see this Government accept the need for nationwide legal change shows that they have listened and understood the abuse of power taking place. 'Above all though, this victory belongs to people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn't. Without their courage, none of this would be happening.' And, last month, the Commons Women and Equalities Committee called on the Government to ban NDAs to tackle misogyny in the music industry. The change comes after several high-profile cases of NDAs being used to silence victims of sexual harassment or bullying. In the case of former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, victims were forced to breach such agreements to come forward. Zelda Perkins, Weinstein's former assistant and founder of the campaign group Can't Buy My Silence UK, said the move was 'a huge milestone'. She said: 'For years, we've heard empty promises from governments whilst victims have continued to be silenced, to see this Government accept the need for nationwide legal change shows that they have listened and understood the abuse of power taking place. 'Above all though, this victory belongs to people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn't. Without their courage, none of this would be happening.' Ms Haigh, who has raised the issue several times in Parliament, said the decision was 'an incredible victory for victims and campaigners' after years of 'tireless campaigning'. She said: 'This victory belongs to them. Organisations like Can't Buy My Silence, led by the indefatigable Zelda Perkins, have exposed the harm caused by this toxic practice. 'Today's announcement will mean that bad employers can no longer hide behind legal practices that cover up their wrongdoing and prevent victims from getting justice.' Ministers had previously indicated they were considering a ban on NDAs in cases of harassment and discrimination, while employment minister Justin Madders also called for a 'cultural shift in employers' earlier this year. Announcing the amendments, Mr Madders said: 'The misuse of NDAs to silence victims of harassment or discrimination is an appalling practice that this Government has been determined to end. 'These amendments will give millions of workers confidence that inappropriate behaviour in the workplace will be dealt with, not hidden, allowing them to get on with building a prosperous and successful career.' Peers will debate the amendments when the Employment Rights Bill returns to the Lords on July 14 and, if passed, will need to be approved by MPs as well.

Workplace misconduct and discrimination NDAs to be banned
Workplace misconduct and discrimination NDAs to be banned

BBC News

time24 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Workplace misconduct and discrimination NDAs to be banned

Employers will be banned from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of workplace sexual misconduct or discrimination, the government has amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, which is expected to become law later this year, will void any confidentiality agreements seeking to prevent workers from speaking about allegations of harassment or Prime Minister Angela Rayner said it was "time we stamped this practice out".The use of NDAs to cover up criminality has been in the headlines ever since Zelda Perkins, the former assistant to Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, broke her NDA in 2017 to accuse him of sexual abuse. More recently, the now deceased Mohamed Al Fayed, who used to own Harrods, was accused of deploying confidentiality clauses to silence women who accused him of rape and NDA is a legally binding document that protects confidential information between two parties. They can be used to protect intellectual property or other commercially sensitive information but over the years their uses have Perkins began campaigning for a change in the law more than seven years ago. She now runs the campaign group Can't Buy My Silence UK and said the amendment marked a ''huge milestone'' and that it showed the government had ''listened and understood the abuse of power taking place".But she said the victory ''belongs to the people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn't". The change in the law would bring the UK in line with Ireland, the United States, and some provinces in Canada, which have banned such agreements from being used to prevent the disclosure of sexual harassment and Perkins said that while the law was welcome, it was vital "to ensure the regulations are watertight and no one can be forced into silence again".Employment rights minister Justin Madders said there was "misuse of NDAs to silence victims", which he called "an appalling practice"."These amendments will give millions of workers confidence that inappropriate behaviour in the workplace will be dealt with, not hidden, allowing them to get on with building a prosperous and successful career," he will debate the amendments when the Employment Rights Bill returns to the House of Lords on 14 July and, if passed, will need to be approved by MPs as well.

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