Connect with us

Published

on

An electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer backed by Amazon and Ford is in talks with ministers about building a giant factory in the UK that could include a big state support package.

Sky News has learnt that Rivian, which is also backed by the Ford Motor Company and many of the biggest investors in Silicon Valley, has been in secret negotiations with the British government for weeks about the construction of a plant near Bristol.

The talks are not yet at an advanced stage, and Britain is facing competition from rival proposals from Germany and the Netherlands, according to industry sources.

Any investment decision is likely to be ultimately worth well over £1bn, they added.

If Rivian does opt to build a plant in the UK – which would be its first outside the US – it would represent another major boost to the country’s automotive sector following recent announcements from Nissan and Stellantis, the owner of Vauxhall.

Rivian raised another $2.5bn (£1.8bn) from investors earlier this month, taking the total sum it has raised since 2019 to a gargantuan $10.5bn (£7.5bn).

RJ Scaringe, the company’s founder and chief executive, said the latest capital injection would enable it “to scale new vehicle programmes, expand our domestic facility footprint, and fuel international product rollout”.

More from Business

Customer deliveries of its R1T electric trucks, which will sell from $67,500 (£48,500), are due to begin in the autumn – although they have faced previous delays.

The talks with ministers are understood to be focused on a facility to manufacture Rivian vehicles, rather than the batteries used to power them, although insiders said that the negotiations were fluid and could yet shift towards a gigafactory.

Several companies are discussing building gigafactories in the UK, reportedly including the South Korean conglomerates LG and Samsung.

Boris Johnson has been briefed on the Rivian discussions and is said to be taking a keen interest in their progress, according to one industry executive.

The nature of a government subsidy package is not yet defined and it was unclear this weekend whether Rivian had yet to make any formal requests for funding or tax breaks from ministers.

Rivian is said to have identified Gravity, a 616-acre campus near Bristol, as one potential site for a new manufacturing plant.

Its existing factory is in Normal, Illinois – which it acquired from Mitsubishi Motors in 2017 – and last week the company confirmed that it was looking for another location in the US to build its vehicles.

The electric vehicle (EV) group is also reported to be preparing to launch an initial public offering in New York as soon as this year that would value it at as much as $70bn (£50.3bn).

That would make it far smaller in market value terms than Tesla, Elon Musk’s EV company, which has a market value of $680bn (£489bn) and has seen its shares more than double during the last year.

Nevertheless, at a valuation north of $50bn, Rivian would be one of the world’s largest publicly traded EV companies.

Its other shareholders include BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, the hedge fund Third Point and Dragoneer Investment Group, a prolific technology investor.

Rivian’s biggest customer to date is Amazon, which has placed an order for 100,000 EV trucks, production of which is scheduled to start this year.

A decision on whether to proceed with a plant in the UK or on the Continent is expected in the next few months.

If it does move ahead in Britain, it would further confound predictions that the country’s automotive sector was headed for terminal decline after Brexit.

Honda’s decision to close its plant in Swindon, announced in 2019, was seen as a major blow to the industry, with Nissan warning that its future investment would be jeopardised if Britain left the trading bloc.

Recent developments involving both the Japanese carmaker and Stellantis have revived hopes of a brighter future for automotive manufacturing in the UK.

The government’s decision to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and hybrid vehicles by 2035 has accelerated the need for a huge shift in manufacturing capability.

There remain significant concerns, though, that the provision of EV charging infrastructure will fail to keep pace with demand.

A BEIS spokesperson said: “While we are working to attract inward investment into the UK to accelerate the growth of new industries, we cannot comment on speculation about individual investments.”

Rivian declined to comment this weekend.

Continue Reading

UK

This Morning: Key extracts from ITV chief executive’s letter to culture secretary on Phillip Schofield departure

Published

on

By

This Morning: Key extracts from ITV chief executive's letter to culture secretary on Phillip Schofield departure

ITV has asked a barrister to carry out an external review of Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning.

The development was announced by the broadcaster’s chief executive, Dame Carolyn McCall, in a letter to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, chair of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, and the Ofcom chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes.

Here are key extracts:

“You will have seen the significant media coverage concerning Phillip Schofield.

“As you would expect we take the matter extremely seriously and have reviewed our own records over the weekend.

“These show that when rumours of a relationship between Phillip Schofield and an employee of ITV first began to circulate in late 2019/early 2020 ITV investigated.

“Both parties were questioned then and both categorically and repeatedly denied the rumours, as did Phillip’s then agency, YMU.

“In addition, ITV spoke to a number of people who worked on the This Morning and wider Daytime team and were not provided with, and did not find any evidence of, a relationship beyond hearsay and rumour.

“Given the ongoing rumours, we continued to ask questions of both parties, who both continued to deny the rumours, including as recently as this month.”

Read more:
Phillip Schofield dropped as ambassador for The Prince’s Trust
Eamonn Holmes claims there was ‘total cover-up’ over Schofield’s affair
A timeline of the This Morning controversy

The letter goes on to say ITV offered “support” to the man who Phillip Schofield said he had an affair with.

“As you would imagine, given the social media scrutiny of him, we have offered him our support throughout this period and indeed are still doing so.

“The employee has made it clear that he does not wish to be named or identified in connection with this matter.

“We would be grateful if you would be mindful of this.

“The relationships we have with those we work with are based on trust.

“Phillip made assurances to us and his agency which he now acknowledges were untrue and we feel badly let down.

“We consider our approach was reasonable and proportionate at the time and in the circumstances.

“We believe that we did not have any grounds to mount any other sort of investigation.”

Dr Ranj with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning in 2020 Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
Image:
Dr Ranj Singh with Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield on This Morning in 2020 Pic: ITV/Shutterstock

The letter also refers to wider claims about This Morning, including allegations of a “toxic culture” by Dr Ranj Singh, a former presenter on the show, saying: “We were sorry to read his statement.

“We are fully committed to providing every opportunity for anyone who works with us to raise any concern or comments they may have.

“Following a complaint made by Dr Ranj, we appointed an external and independent adviser to carry out a review.

“This external review found no evidence of bullying or discrimination.

“I want to reassure you that as a producer and broadcaster, ITV takes its responsibilities around duty of care and speaking up seriously and has robust and well-established processes in place which allow anyone who works with us to raise concerns they may have anonymously.

“The confidential reporting number and other ways of raising concerns are promoted via a number of channels, which includes ITV’s internal staff website, across ITV buildings and how to speak up is part of ITV’s code of ethics and conduct annual mandatory training for all staff.

“We have now instructed Jane Mulcahy KC (Blackstone Chambers) to carry out an external review to establish the facts.

“She will review our records and talk to people involved.

“This work will also consider our relevant processes and policies and whether we need to change or strengthen any.

“Given Phillip’s admission of the extent of his deception the work will extend to cover any related issues that may emerge.

“This work will be carried out as quickly as possible and we will be happy to share the outcome.”

Continue Reading

UK

ITV announces external review over Phillip Schofield’s departure from This Morning

Published

on

By

ITV announces external review over Phillip Schofield's departure from This Morning

ITV has instructed a barrister to carry out an external review of the facts following Phillip Schofield’s statement and departure from This Morning, chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall has said.

In a letter seen by the PA news agency, ITV’s Dame McCall said: “You will have seen the significant media coverage concerning Phillip Schofield.

“As you would expect we take the matter extremely seriously and have reviewed our own records over the weekend.

“Given the ongoing rumours, we continued to ask questions of both parties, who both continued to deny the rumours, including as recently as this month.

Phillip Schofield: Timeline of ITV departure after colleague affair

“There has been a lot of inaccuracy in the reporting so I thought it would be useful to set out some facts.”

The letter was sent to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, DCMS Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage and Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes.

More on Phillip Schofield

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Phillip Schofield: ITV reacts

Schofield has said he had an “unwise but not illegal” relationship with a younger colleague.

The letter says ITV have offered him support “throughout this period” and are still doing so.

Schofield resigned from the broadcaster on Friday after admitting both to the affair and lying about it. He was also dropped by his talent agency, YMU.

Read more:
Key extracts from ITV’s letter to culture sec on Schofield departure
Phillip Schofield dropped as ambassador for The Prince’s Trust
Eamonn Holmes claims there was ‘total cover-up’ over Schofield’s affair

The relationship took place while the 61-year-old was still married to Stephanie Lowe, and before he publicly came out as gay.

The letter goes on to say that ITV has instructed Jane Mulcahy KC, of Blackstone Chambers, to “carry out an external review to establish the facts.”

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield

“She will review our records and talk to people involved. This work will also consider our relevant processes and policies and whether we need to change or strengthen any,” the letter said.

ITV bosses are set to be quizzed by MPs over their handling of the situation at This Morning next week.

The network’s executives will appear before the Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee on Tuesday.

They had been scheduled to appear before the committee anyway, to discuss the draft Media Bill, but have been told to expect an interrogation over the Schofield affair as well.

Continue Reading

UK

England announce squad for FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand

Published

on

By

England announce squad for FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand

The England squad for the Women’s World Cup has been announced, with Lucy Bronze, Lauren James and Mary Earps among the 23 players heading to Australia and New Zealand.

Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot in last year’s Euro 2022 triumph, has been recovering from an ACL injury sustained in November and will miss out.

Captain Leah Williamson and midfielder Fran Kirby, who are injured, are also among those who will not be going to the tournament.

Speaking about the high profile absentees, England boss Sarina Wiegman said: “It’s very disappointing for Leah. It’s very sad but it’s the same for Fran [Kirby] and the same for Beth Mead. But you have to move on too, and unfortunately this is part of top-level sport.”

Wiegman confirmed defender Millie Bright will take on the captaincy in light of Williamson’s absence.

Asked if there was ever a chance of Mead recovering from her injury in time, Wiegman said: “No, I don’t think so. Beth is so positive and she’s going really well [in her recovery]. But we were always wary of her time schedule.”

England’s first game is against Haiti on 22 July and they will later play Denmark and China in Group D.

Lionesses World Cup announcement – all the reaction here

England's Fran Kirby and Beth Mead celebrate with the trophy after winning Women's Euro 2022
Image:
Fran Kirby (left) and Beth Mead, who will both not be going to the World Cup, celebrate with the trophy after winning Euro 2022

Here’s the full squad:

Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Man Utd), Ellie Roebuck (Man City), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa)

Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Man City), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Man Utd), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Laura Coombs (Man City), Katie Zelem (Man Utd)

Forwards: Alessia Russo (Man Utd), Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Lauren Hemp (Man City), Chloe Kelly (Man City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Katie Robinson (Brighton), Bethany England (Tottenham)

Leah Williamson misses out due to injury. Pic: AP
Image:
Leah Williamson misses out due to injury. Pic: AP

Expectations are high for Wiegman’s team after winning last summer’s Euro 2022.

They also beat Brazil in the first-ever Women’s Finalissima in April this year.

The World Cup squad was announced at Sutton Coldfield’s Boldmere St Michael’s FC to “highlight the strong connection between the grassroots game and England teams”.

Analysis from Sky Sports News reporter Anton Toloui

There are a couple of surprises. The goalkeepers are unchanged from the Euros last summer.

Mary Earps is the undisputed number one. There is very good news for England fans in defence as both Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze are both in the squad after end-of-season knee surgeries.

There is no place for Maya Le Tissier. Jordan Nobbs and Laura Coombs both had strong seasons to earn their places in the squad.

It’s interesting that Katie Zelem is in as she was left out of the last England squad. She’s probably in this one because there’s no Leah Williamson so they need another back-up holding midfielder.

Up front, there is even more intrigue as Bethany England is included after a sensational start to her Tottenham career.

After 12 goals in 12 games for Spurs, Sarina Wiegman decides to give her a recall despite not playing for England since September.

Asked about the weight of expectation following recent successes, Wiegman said: “Our approach is no different in this tournament in the sense that we always want to be at our best.

“We’re a little bit in transition now with some changes in the team, but I still think we’re really good and have many very talented players.

“We’re just going to make sure that we’re at our best and then we’ll see how far we’ll go.

“We’re still in a very good place.”

Jordan Nobbs is included in the squad despite sustaining an injury in Aston Villa’s penultimate game of the season.

Read more:
UK calls on FIFA and broadcasters to ‘quickly reach agreement’ to show World Cup

Millie Bright will take on the captaincy. Pic: AP
Image:
Millie Bright will take on the captaincy. Pic: AP

Meanwhile, Katie Zelem has been brought back after not making the last squad in April and there is no recall for Williamson’s predecessor as captain Steph Houghton.

Jess Park, Maya Le Tissier and Emily Ramsey have been named on standby.

Wiegman said after the squad announcement: “The last week has been pretty stressful. We’ve had to make hard decisions in the last period. It’s nice for the ones who are in, it’s not nice for the ones who aren’t.

“We’ve had very good conversations with the tactical staff, we follow the players very closely. But it’s been really hard.”

Wiegman also said she had some very enjoyable phone calls with players who found out they had made the squad.

Leah Williamson, center left, and Millie Bright lift the trophy after winning the Women's Euro 2022 final. Pic: AP
Image:
Leah Williamson, center left, and Millie Bright lift the trophy after winning the Women’s Euro 2022 final. Pic: AP

Giving her thoughts on the selection, former England goalkeeper Carly Telford told Sky Sports News: “It’s good to see Millie Bright on that list. I think we’ll all be relieved about that.

“She’s [Wiegman] gone with experience in Jordan Nobbs. It’s great to see her back, along with Katie Zelem – I think they’re going to be important.

“There’s some freshness in there. Katie Robinson’s a very exciting prospect.

“No Jess Park, which is disappointing, but her injury towards the end of the season probably hindered her a little bit.

“It’s a solid squad. It’s got good versatility and good depth.”

Continue Reading

Trending