Wednesday newspaper round-up: Rail strikes, air fares, John Lewis

(Sharecast News) - The RMT union has called off a strike at Network Rail next week, fuelling hopes of a significant breakthrough in the long-running dispute. The union said it was suspending the strike planned for Thursday 16 March and all other industrial action, which was to include an overtime ban, after it received a fresh offer from Network Rail. - Guardian Jeremy Hunt's tax raid on airlines means passengers will have to pay higher air fares, bosses have warned. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and easyJet are among a coalition of airlines urging the Chancellor not to increase air passenger duty (APD) in line with the retail prices index (RPI) next month. - Telegraph

Mortgaged homeowners in the UK are more at risk of falling into arrears than in any other major developed country, a leading credit ratings agency has warned. The share of homeowners missing more than three months of mortgage payments will double in 2023 to 1.5pc as high rates hit borrowers, according to Fitch Ratings. Based on the current number of residential mortgages in the UK, this means 135,000 households will be in arrears. - Telegraph

John Lewis is running into resistance over its first build-to-rent project, with the leader of the local council accusing the retailer of "bullying" and raising concerns about the height of its planned tower blocks and the lack of affordable housing. The trailblazing plan to build 430 flats in towers up to 19 storeys high in the west London suburb of Ealing above a Waitrose supermarket is already months behind schedule, according to local residents. - The Times