Wednesday newspaper round-up: Tariffs, Rockfire Investment Finance, housebuilding target

(Sharecast News) - The White House has signalled that the UK will be spared the 50% steel and aluminium tariffs which came into effect on Wednesday. In a statement, the US president, Donald Trump, said he had decided to "provide different treatment" to the UK after a deal that was struck between Washington and London last month. The executive order signed by Trump on Tuesday evening will still raise import taxes for US firms buying from other countries. - Guardian The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched an investigation into Rockfire Investment Finance, which became embroiled in a financial scandal over how a UK council invested more than £100m into solar farms. The UK's anti-corruption agency said it had "issued a series of section 2 notices compelling financial institutions to provide information on its newly opened investigation into alleged fraud committed against Thurrock council". - Guardian

The BBC director general has called for a higher licence fee after taking aim at a decade of "grinding" cuts. Tim Davie said he was open to reform of the fee and its enforcement, but made it clear that he wanted more money from the public to enable investment. He said: "I do want universal funding and I want proper investment and not begrudging, grinding cuts to the BBC, which you've had in the last 10 years, which have just not helped." - Telegraph

Council staff shortages are causing "serious" delays and putting Angela Rayner's housebuilding target in jeopardy, builders have warned. The Home Builders Federation (HBF) said a "staffing crisis" at local authorities had led to mounting delays that are holding up projects across the country. - Telegraph

A Cambridge-based surgical robotics company backed by a series of global investors is pursuing a possible sale of the business for about $4 billion. CMR Surgical, which recently raised a further $200 million from existing backers after a regulatory breakthrough in the United States, has hired advisers to consider its options. - The Times