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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Sunday newspaper round-up: Post-Brexit arrangements, Manchester United, Home REIT

(Sharecast News) - Rishi Sunak and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson are on a collision course over the former's plans to overhaul the post-Brexit arrangements as pertain to Northern Ireland. It is understood that Johnson is worried that a successful push by Sunak would become an obstacle to the government's ability to rip up some of the Brexit arrangements in the region. Keir Starmer on the other hand told the Observer that his party would support a vote in Parliament on the agreement. - Observer

US hedge fund Elliott has joined the £5bn bidding war for Manchester United in an eleventh hour move, on Friday, just before the expiry of the deadline to submit bids. According to sources, Elliott had ruled out a possible full takeover, but had offered financing for a possible acquisition. The details of the proposal were not clear but may include the hedge fund taking a stake in Manchester United or financing the debt for the deal. - Sunday Times

Home REIT is likely to face fierce criticism from its shareholders when management meets with them at the start of the week. A succession of crises has led some critics to suggest that the company may be facing a 'Southern Cross moment', in reference to the care home outfit that succumbed a decade before following a stint under private equity ownership. In an unusual move, media have been barred from its annual meetings, although its major shareholders, including M&G, BlackRock and Legal & General, were expected to be in attendance. - Financial Mail on Sunday

Veteran investor Bill Currie has thrown his weight behind Sosandar in what amounts to a vote of confidence for the online fashion retailer. Currie, once a star analyst in the City, was an early backer of the company's rivals, including Asos, Boohoo, and THG. The investor and his family have built up a £2m stake over the past year in Sosandar and participated in a recent cash call from the £58m company. Sosandar has inked online partnerships with Next, John Lewis, and Marks & Spencer and has posted a profit in each of the last five quarters. - Financial Mail on Sunday

Pawnbrokers, once mainly inhabitants of seedy back alleys, are now thriving in middle-class havens as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, including in Harrogate and north Yorkshire. There is now even one in the City of London that caters to traders disappointed with their bonuses. People are pawning everything from Rolex watches to Rolls-Royce cars, sometimes even to finance private school fees. Listed pawnbrokers such as H&T and Ramsdens have seen their share prices surge over the past year.

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Monday newspaper round-up: hospitality businesses, rail passengers, Battersea Power Station
(Sharecast News) - Hundreds of UK hospitality businesses, backed by celebrity chefs including Angela Hartnett and Heston Blumenthal, have asked Andy Burnham to lay out plans to lower VAT for the sector, urging him to make good on his previous pledge. More than 800 businesses have written an open letter to the prime minister as part of the #VATsTheProblem campaign, to warn that without a "fairer tax burden for hospitality", there will be more closures and job losses, and fewer opportunities for young people. - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Energy bills, triple lock, ONS data crisis
(Sharecast News) - Consumers will pay higher energy bills unless the UK government speeds up work on a vast programme of upgrades to the electricity grid to enable the switch to renewables, the public spending watchdog has warned. The National Audit Office (NAO) said that without faster action the extra costs associated with managing the ageing power network, which are ultimately passed on to the public, could reach £7.8bn a year by 2030. - Guardian
Thursday newspaper round-up: Migration, air traffic control, triple lock
(Sharecast News) - Andy Burnham must overhaul Shabana Mahmood's migration reforms or risk overstretching social care and fuelling far-right sentiment, the TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, has warned. Speaking ahead of the TUC's annual congress in Brighton next week, Nowak welcomed the "sense of optimism" around Burnham's fledgling government, but he urged the PM to act in a series of areas, including migration and the cost of living. - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Air traffic control breakdown, Bet365, consumer finance claims
(Sharecast News) - Flight delays and cancellations were expected to continue into Wednesday at UK airports after another air traffic control failure kept planes grounded for hours, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers. At least 177 flights scheduled for Wednesday to and from UK airports had been cancelled, plane tracking site Flightradar24 said, "nearly all at London Heathrow". More than 1,000 were cancelled by about 8pm on Tuesday. - Guardian

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.