Tuesday newspaper round-up: Amanda Staveley, ITV, Bidstack

26th Mar 2024 07:26

(Sharecast News) - Are 200,000 jobs really supported by the oil and gas industry in the North Sea? Campaigners and MPs are questioning the longstanding government claim. Ministers have repeatedly used the 200,000 jobs figure as justification for pushing ahead with more fossil fuel developments despite the escalating climate crisis and widespread opposition from scientists and energy experts. - Guardian

The Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley faces having to pay a Greek shipping magnate more than £3m after a high court legal battle. Staveley had been issued with a statutory demand by businessman Victor Restis, who claimed she was liable to pay him £3.4m owed from an investment he made in her business ventures. - Guardian

Britain is producing the smallest amount of energy on record as a plunge in North Sea fossil fuels leaves the country more reliant than ever on imports. Around 40pc of oil and gas used in the UK is shipped in from abroad, according to a new report from Offshore Energies UK (OEUK). Meanwhile, 11pc of electricity is brought in using undersea cables linked to the Continent. - Telegraph

ITV's legal bill soared to £24m last year as bosses grappled with the fallout from the Phillip Schofield scandal. The broadcasting giant racked up millions of pounds in legal costs in 2023, some of which related to a KC review into Mr Schofield's affair with a young colleague. The This Morning presenter stepped down from ITV in May last year after admitting to an "unwise, but not illegal" relationship with a male studio runner more than three decades his junior. - Telegraph

A former City figure and his wife who allegedly received at least £23.9 million from London Capital & Finance have agreed a settlement with administrators of the collapsed minibonds business, it has emerged. Simon and Helen Hume-Kendall were accused of using the money they received from London Capital & Finance, which the firm had raised by selling toxic minibonds to thousands of small investors, to finance a luxury lifestyle, including lifetime membership of Annabel's, the private members' club in London, and expensive travel. - The Times

Executives of an insolvent Aim-quoted in-game video advertising company have bought the business out of administration via an apparent pre-pack sale. James Draper, the founder and chief executive of Bidstack, said they had acquired Bidstack Limited and all the operating entities of the group from administrators at Alvarez & Marsal Europe. - The Times