Monday newspaper round-up: Hiring, Starlink, Thames Water

(Sharecast News) - Companies are putting the brakes on hiring new staff amid a "subdued" economic outlook and rising wage bills, according to the latest business surveys. In signs of a weakening UK labour market, the consultancy KPMG and the trade body the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said a marked decline in the number of people being placed in permanent and temporary roles continued in February, although hiring declined at a slower pace than in January. - Guardian Councils and mayors will be granted greater powers to seize land to build affordable housing under the Labour government's shake-up of planning rules this week. Local authorities in England and Wales will no longer need permission from central government to make compulsory purchase orders (CPOs), in a change that ministers hope will unlock vacant and derelict land. - Guardian

Elon Musk's satellite technology is set to be deployed to help keep GPs in rural parts of England connected to the internet. The NHS has awarded a contract worth £85,000 to Starlink, which is part of Mr Musk's SpaceX, to help provide internet services to GP practices and administrative offices in the North East and North Cumbria. - Telegraph

London is at risk of being swamped by burst pipes and sewage leaks if Thames Water is forced into an emergency nationalisation later this month, insiders fear. There are growing concerns that maintenance and repair works could grind to a halt if a multibillion-pound private sector-led bailout is rejected by the Court of Appeal in the coming days. - Telegraph

The beleaguered boss of BP has insisted that a move to increase fossil fuel production and abandon green energy targets is "resonating" with investors, as he races to convince shareholders that he can turn around the fortunes of the oil major. In his first public comments since promising a "fundamentally reset" strategy two weeks ago, Murray Auchincloss writes in The Times that unwinding a series of "misplaced" targets set out five years ago had been well received as he steps up efforts to woo investors. - The Times