Pret a Manger to take on supermarkets by trialling meal deals

Pret a Manger is finally caving in to competition from supermarkets by launching meal deals, after the value of the chain was slashed by a third amid “intense strains” on the hospitality industry.The sandwich and coffee chain said it intends to test the meal deal format in the last quarter of this year, as a medium-term strategy to grow the Pret brand and return to sustainable profits. It did not say how much the meal deals will cost.In the UK, meal deals will be tested across two parts of the day – a croissant and coffee for breakfast; crisps and a bread-based sandwich; and also any lunch main, snack and a drink.In January Pret launched a meal deal in France, which is performing well

Reform UK would axe any high-speed northern rail schemes, says Richard Tice

A Reform government would axe any high-speed rail schemes earmarked for the north, the party’s deputy leader has warned.Richard Tice said companies considering bidding for contracts should “not bother” as the party would “spend the money instead on things the country needs more”.Labour is expected this month to announce it is reviving Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), with leading figures backing a new £17bn Liverpool-Manchester line as a first step in a full railway running across the north.The NPR scheme was originally backed by the previous government – but the line linking Liverpool and Manchester was due to share parts of the HS2 northern leg axed by Rishi Sunak in 2023.Labour has yet to confirm its plans but the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, hinted at news in her budget speech, and sources last month told the Guardian that the government would announce its commitment before the start of the party conference, shoring up northern support

UK banks face lawsuits over mortgages that left people with huge debts

Two of Britain’s biggest banks face being sued over “unfair” mortgages that have left some people owing up to 20 times the sum they originally borrowed.The law firm Teacher Stern is bringing group actions against Barclays and Bank of Scotland in an attempt, it said, to win justice for two new groups of claimants comprising current and former customers and their next of kin.One of those affected, Annie Galbraith, borrowed £33,000 from Barclays in 1998, but her debt to the bank is now estimated at about £660,000 and could rise further.The cases involve a controversial type of mortgage on sale between late 1996 and mid-1998 and only available from the two banks.The shared appreciation mortgages (Sams) were ostensibly aimed at helping “asset-rich, cash-poor” older people release some of the value locked up in their homes

Tube strike: Downing Street says Londoners ‘fed up’ as it urges RMT union and TfL to negotiate – as it happened

Downing Street has called on the RMT union and Transport for London to get back to the negotiating table to end this week’s tube strikes, which are due to run until 8am on Friday.The prime minister’s official spokesman said:I think Londoners will rightly be fed-up with the disruption from Tube strikes this morning - as parents try and drop their kids off at school, get to hospital appointments, get to work - and RMT and TfL need to get back around the table, work together to resolve this dispute in the interests of passengers.Strikes by the RMT union have closed the London Underground, with people crowding on to other transport and roads congested at the start of four days of commuter misery. The TfL website crashed earlier this morning but is back to normal.Rides on Uber were quoted at multiples of normal levels, with some journeys costing about £50 for a five-mile trip in the capital

Mirror publisher puts 600 jobs at risk amid AI and reader changes

The publisher of the Mirror, Express and Star newspapers has put 600 jobs at risk in its latest restructure to adapt to changing reader habits and the impact of artificial intelligence.Reach, which also owns scores of regional titles including the Manchester Evening News, the Birmingham Mail and the Liverpool Echo, said on Monday that it intends to make 321 editorial redundancies.The overall number of jobs at risk is separate to a restructure of its commercial and production operations, as well as roles affected by the creation of a central sports hub for coverage across its national and regional brands, which was announced in July.The company, which reported profits of almost £100m last year and whose chief executive, Jim Mullen, departed in March, said the restructure was part of a shift to producing more video and audio content, as well as a live news network.“Our new structure represents the biggest reorganisation we’ve ever undertaken, even more than in the early days of the digital revolution,” said the Reach chief content officer, David Higgerson

‘Not just about drink any more’: UK pubs tap themed nights to revive fortunes

By the time Mark Dawson joined the Ship in Hampshire eight years ago, trade had thinned to a trickle. “We were busy when the sun shone,” said the general manager. “But otherwise, it was very quiet.”Over the next year, Dawson tried a range of ways to attract the local Langstone community. But footfall remained low