Podcasts

Today on the agenda, Georgie Frost and Kevin White, Director at Fortem Financial Management discussed how up to three million children in the UK are at risk because families can't afford to feed them during school holidays. Plus they look into why UK shoe repair and key-cutting business Timpson recruits new staff according to which Mr Men characters their personalities resemble. All these stories and more on The News Review.

The Guardian leads with the story that pro-EU campaign group Open Britain is urging voters to unseat prominent Brexit-supporting MPs, including Iain Duncan Smith, Theresa Villiers and Kate Hoey. Meanwhile, in the Telegraph, polls suggest the Conservatives are on course for a historic Commons majority of up to 150 seats.

Georgie and Nigel began the morning by going through the latest market headlines, starting with Whitbread - the UK's largest hospitality company, owning the likes of Costa Coffee. Elsewhere, we've heard from the UK's largest retailer of carpets - Carpetright. And there's a £10bn takeover of Christian Dior, which is dominating the retail business news this morning.

Northern Petroleum plc,an oil and gas company, is undertaking a redevelopment and production project in north west Alberta and has a broader portfolio of exploration and appraisal opportunities in countries of relatively low political risk, primarily Italy.

A court's heard that a teenager made about £360,000 by creating computer hacking software which cost universities, gaming websites and other businesses millions of pounds. 20 year old Adam Mudd from Hertfordshire, has already admitted offences under the Computer Misuse Act. But the report also acknowledges that teenagers are often looking to secure bragging rights with their friends, rather than for any more malevolent motive.

Alistair McQueen, Head of Savings and Retirement at Aviva, will be available this week to comment on the Graduate Labour Market Statistics on Tuesday 25th April, HMRC Flexible Payments from Pensions Data on Wednesday 26th April and HMRC Personal Income Statistics on Thursday 27th April.

There's a warning the UK's electrical infrastructure is not equipped for the rise in Electric Vehicle or EV use over the next decade. A report from the Green Alliance suggests peak demand for electricity could double before 2050, leading to so called brown outs or black outs if local grids are not actively managed.

The start of the new tax year earlier this month didn't only mean changes to taxes and the introduction of a lifetime ISA, it also resulted in some big changes to benefits. Critics say that some of these changes will leave families much worse off. And some of the changes, such as the introduction of the so-called 'rape clause' are pretty controversial.

British businesses have at least £498bn tied up in excess working capital, which could be used to boost cashflow and growth. A combination of revenue growth, which increases the amount of money tied up in unpaid invoices, and firms strategically building up their inventories ahead of anticipated price hikes, have increased pressure on businesses to have more working capital.

A general election period brings uncertainty but can also be good for businesses. While there are naturally concerns that things can slow down in the run up to a vote, it is also a chance for entrepreneurs and business leaders to have their voices heard.