Post Office could hand ownership to staff amid review after Horizon scandal

Ministers are to consider handing over ownership of the Post Office to its operators after the Horizon IT scandal.The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has published a green paper, starting the first big review of the scandal-plagued organisation in 15 years.The review, which will run until 6 October, follows the publication last week of the first part of the two-year public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal.Ministers said that part of the review will include looking at the ownership model of the Post Office, which is ultimately controlled by the government, including the possibility of mutualisation.Ministers have previously met representatives of post office operators to discuss the possibility of handing ownership to the network branch managers who run its 11,500 outlets

Tax pubs on profit not turnover, urges Greene King boss

The boss of the pub chain Greene King has called for changes to business rates to remedy “unfairness” that he said added to financial pressures on the struggling pubs industry.Nick Mackenzie, Greene King’s chief executive, said the business rates system of property taxes should be changed to a tax on profits.The British pub industry has complained that it is under pressure from a series of increasing costs. The trade body the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said last week it expected pub closures at a rate of more than one a day during 2025, adding to the 350 net closures during 2024. It said business rates were a factor in those closures

Fathers plan legal action to get smartphones banned in England’s schools

Two fathers plan to take legal action against the government in an attempt to get smartphones banned in schools in England.Will Orr-Ewing and Pete Montgomery wrote to the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, on Friday warning that they would seek a judicial review. They argue that current guidance, which allows headteachers to decide how smartphones are used, is unlawful and unsafe for children.The Department for Education now has 14 days to officially respond to the letter, after which point the claimants can issue judicial review proceedings.The DfE said schools already had the power to ban phones and it was bringing in “better protections” from harmful content through the Online Safety Act

Brenda, 95, and her soft toys become unlikely stars on TikTok

The anger and polarisation often on display on social media have made it a stressful place to venture for many people, wary of its unpredictable pile-ons and bile-filled responses. Yet a 95-year-old Cheshire woman and her soft toy collection have become the unlikely stars of a trend to encourage kindness in the comments.Brenda Allen said she had been flabbergasted by the response to her recent TikTok videos, in which she talks about her quirky Jellycat figures. Encouraged by a staff member at her care home, she began by showing viewers a hat-wearing avocado named Florence. Her haul also features a cuddly pot plant and a squashy, smiling pain au chocolat

Lions reject ‘Geography Six’ comparisons after more squad additions before Wallabies Test

The British & Irish Lions have defended the decision to fly three extra Scottish players to Australia and insist it is not a rerun of the “Geography Six” saga that generated controversy in New Zealand in 2017.Rory Sutherland, Darcy Graham and Ewan Ashman have been called up to provide cover for the Lions’ final midweek game next Tuesday in between the first and second Tests. The trio’s arrival will inflate the number of Lions on tour to a whopping 44 with Owen Farrell, Ben White, Jamie Osborne and, most recently, Jamie George and Thomas Clarkson having already been added to the party.Back in 2017 when Warren Gatland called up six additional players – Allan Dell, Finn Russell, Kristian Dacey, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill and Gareth Davies – there was unhappiness within the squad that selection had been driven by geographical convenience rather than merit.All three Scottish players had been preparing to face Samoa in New Zealand on Friday but, in this case, the Lions management say that geography was not the overriding factor

Jake Paul is boxing’s newest power broker. Taylor v Serrano was his proof of concept

Katie Taylor’s decisive victory over Amanda Serrano at MSG on Friday capped a watershed night for Most Valuable Promotions, who are betting big on women’s boxingOn Friday night, 11 July, Katie Taylor earned the clear-cut win that had eluded her in two previous victories by controversial decision over Amanda Serrano. Fighting before a sold-out crowd of 19,721 on the first all-women’s boxing card ever at Madison Square Garden, Taylor outboxed her longtime rival and solidified her status as one of the greatest women boxers of all time.The evening was a celebration of women’s boxing and also marked a significant step forward for Most Valuable Promotions (Jake Paul’s promotional company), which orchestrated, produced and marketed the event.Paul is a highly visible social media influencer with 28.4m followers on Instagram and 20