Monday newspaper round-up: Thames Water, Gatwick Airport, Ebury
By Michele Maatouk
Date: Monday 24 Mar 2025
(Sharecast News) - Keir Starmer has been warned against "appeasing" Donald Trump as he considers reducing a major tax for US tech companies while cutting disability benefits and public sector jobs. His chancellor, Rachel Reeves, confirmed on Sunday that there were "ongoing" discussions about the UK's £1bn-a-year digital services tax that affects companies including Meta and Amazon. - Guardian
Ministers are considering diverting money from a £950m scheme to install rapid chargers for electric cars on the UK's motorways, announced five years ago, after it failed to make a single grant. Much of the cash allocated to the rapid charging fund (RCF) could be redirected to investments in other charging schemes, or to support the transition to electric vehicles more broadly, although decisions have yet to be made, according to a person close to discussions in government. - Guardian
Fresh doubt has been cast over the race to find a white knight buyer for Thames Water as it struggles to provide details of its labyrinthine network of pipes, sewage works and reservoirs. Thames Water has stepped up the hunt for new investors willing to pump in billions of pounds of emergency capital after the Court of Appeal approved a £3bn emergency debt bailout from its existing creditors. - Telegraph
Gatwick airport is preparing to reject government demands for it to guarantee that the majority of passengers using its proposed new runway will arrive by train. Stewart Wingate, chief executive, said meeting some of the requirements for approval of the £2.5bn plan to add 100,000 flights a year, such as lower noise levels, may be feasible. - Telegraph
Britain's life science sector has missed out on an estimated £15 billion a year over the past decade due to a decline in its international competitiveness, a report warns. The sector has been designated one of the government's eight key growth drivers as part of its forthcoming industrial strategic plan but there are concerns that the UK is losing ground to other major economies. - The Times
The City grandee who chairs Ebury has signalled that whipsawing markets could derail a £2 billion London listing of the Santander-backed payments company. Bruce Carnegie-Brown said the business was in talks with investors about a possible share sale and that bosses were edging closer to a decision on whether or not to push ahead. - The Times
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