Monday newspaper round-up: EV targets, Anthropic, Johnson & Johnson

(Sharecast News) - Britain's industrial sector is at risk of collapse as thousands of companies warn that they could face bankruptcy within the next year because of high energy prices, according to an industry survey. The manufacturers' body Make UK said the latest feedback from its members found that many would not be able to cope for much longer with energy costs that were twice the average in continental Europe and four times higher than in the US. - Guardian The UK government is poised to water down its 2030 targets for electric vehicle sales after intensive lobbying by the car industry and unions. The government is preparing to consult on less ambitious targets for the transition to fully battery-powered electric cars over the rest of the decade after carmakers and unions warned that they would penalise manufacturers and put jobs at risk. - Guardian

Rishi Sunak is believed to be among those unable to use Anthropic's most powerful AI models, despite his role as an adviser to the company. Anthropic has disabled access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5, its most advanced systems, under orders from the US department of commerce. It extends to Anthropic employees who are not US citizens. The company is also understood to have imposed restrictions on many of its US employees, not just on foreign citizens. - Telegraph

Johnson & Johnson has warned it may stop supplying free medicines under new early access schemes in Britain, in an escalation of an industry dispute with HM Revenue & Customs. The government is facing a backlash from drugs companies, charities and MPs over VAT bills for firms that provide medicines at no cost to patients through post-clinical trial continuity of care or compassionate use schemes. - The Times

Britain risks losing more high street shops and becoming a dumping ground for unsafe imports unless ministers move faster to close a tax loophole being exploited by overseas businesses, retailers have warned. Andrew Murphy, chief executive of The Entertainer, a toy shop chain with more than 150 stores, has expressed "grave concern and profound frustration" over plans to wait until 2029 before abolishing the £135 "de minimis" customs threshold. - The Times