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A £1bn investment in Britain by port operator DP World will go ahead as planned, after a frantic effort by ministers and diplomats to repair relations following a row with the Dubai-owned multinational that threatened to overshadow a crucial investment summit.

On Friday, Sky News revealed that the planned investment was under review and that DP World’s chairman, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, had cancelled plans to attend the summit, following criticism by ministers of P&O Ferries, a subsidiary company.

On Wednesday, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh described P&O Ferries, which summarily sacked 800 seafarers in March 2022, as a “rogue operator” and called for a consumer boycott.

Her comments caused considerable offence to DP World’s leadership as it prepared to sign-off of the £1bn investment in London Gateway container port, timed to coincide with the summit.

In an attempt to salvage the situation Sir Keir Starmer slapped down Ms Haigh, saying the government did not share her views, and officials from Downing Street and the Foreign Office are understood to have been involved in efforts to repair relations.

DP World has told Sky News that Mr bin Sulayem will attend the event in London and it is understood the investment will be confirmed as planned, before a row with ministers threw the flagship announcement into doubt.

DP World chief executive Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. Pic: AP
Image:
DP World chief executive Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. Pic: AP

A DP World spokesperson told Sky News: “Following constructive and positive discussions with the government, we have been given the clarity we need. We look forward to participating in Monday’s International Investment Summit.”

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Mr bin Sulayem is expected to meet the UK’s prime minister, perhaps as soon as Sunday, when delegates will gather for a reception in central London.

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Louise Haigh has called for ASLEF and LNER to engage in talks
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Louise Haigh. Pic: PA

The investment in London Gateway will see the addition of two new berths taking the total to six, and a second rail terminal. Capacity, currently at almost two million containers a year, will double and the port is expected to become Britain’s largest by volume within five years.

The investment is expected to create 400 full-time jobs in addition to the 1,200 people already employed at London Gateway, and will take the total spent at the facility on the Thames Estuary in Essex, near the village of Corringham, to more than £3bn.

A map showing the location in Essex of the London Gateway port
Image:
A map showing the location in Essex of the London Gateway port

A logistics park employing 1,500 people has also been developed adjacent to the port, formerly the site of a Shell oil refinery.

DP World owns ports and logistics operations in more than 60 countries and generated global revenues of almost £14bn last year.

A government spokeswoman said: “DP World’s investment in Britain is a vote of confidence in the stability and seriousness of the government. We welcome the jobs and opportunities it will create.

“By working in partnership with businesses and investors from all over the world, this government is unlocking the UK’s potential and ambition. As our international investment summit will show, Britain is once again open for business.”

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Bodycare to close 56 remaining stores – with nearly 450 to be made redundant

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Bodycare to close 56 remaining stores - with nearly 450 to be made redundant

High Street beauty chain Bodycare is to close its 56 remaining stores, resulting in 444 redundancies, administrators have said.

Last week it announced the closure of 30 shops, having collapsed into administration earlier this month.

A shortage of stock and the cost of running stores meant it was no longer viable to keep its 115 stores open, administrators said at the time.

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Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

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Trump reveals Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch could be involved in TikTok deal

Donald Trump has revealed that media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan could be part of a deal in which TikTok in the United States will come under American control.

The US president also namedropped Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, as a possible participant in the deal during an interview with Fox News, which is owned by the Murdochs.

“I think they’re going to be in the group. A couple of others. Really great people, very prominent people,” Mr Trump said. “And they’re also American patriots, you know, they love this country. I think they’re going to do a really good job.”

Mr Trump said that Larry Ellison, founder and CEO of software firm Oracle, was part of the same group. His involvement in the potential TikTok deal had previously been revealed.

President Donald Trump speaking to reporters outside the White House. Pic: AP/Mark Schiefelbein
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President Donald Trump speaking to reporters outside the White House. Pic: AP/Mark Schiefelbein

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Saturday that Oracle would be responsible for the app’s data and security, with Americans set to control six of the seven seats for a planned TikTok board.

This comes after Mr Trump said he and China’s Xi Jinping held a “very productive call” on Friday, discussing the final approval for the TikTok deal, much of which is still unknown.

Once confirmed, the deal should stop TikTok from being banned in the US after lawmakers decided it posed a security risk to citizens’ data.

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Officials warned that the algorithm TikTok uses is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to push specific content on the social media platform in a way that is difficult to detect.

Congress had ordered the app shut down for American users by January 2025 if its Chinese owner ByteDance didn’t sell its assets in the country – but the ban has been delayed four times by President Trump.

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Mr Trump said on Sunday that he might be “a little prejudiced” about TikTok, after telling reporters on Friday: “I wasn’t a fan of TikTok and then I got to use it and then I became a fan and it helped me win an election in a landslide.”

After the call with Mr Xi, Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post: “We made progress on many very important issues, including Trade, Fentanyl, the need to bring the War between Russia and Ukraine to an end, and the approval of the TikTok Deal.”

Mr Trump later told reporters at the White House that Xi had approved the deal, but said it still needed to be signed.

Representatives for the Murdochs, Mr Dell and Mr Ellison have not yet commented on a potential TikTok deal.

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Gatwick second runway given green light by government

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Gatwick second runway given green light by government

Gatwick’s second runway has been given the go-ahead by the government.

The northern runway already exists parallel to Gatwick‘s main one, but cannot be used at the same time, as it is too close.

It is currently limited to being a taxiway and is only used for take-offs and landings if the main one has to shut.

The £2.2bn expansion project will see it move 12 metres north so both can operate simultaneously, facilitating 100,000 extra flights a year, 14,000 jobs, and £1bn a year for the economy.

It would also mean the airport could process 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s.

Gatwick is already the second busiest airport in the UK, and the busiest single runway airport in Europe.

No public money is being used for the expansion plan, which airport bosses say could see the new runway operational by 2029.

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The expansion was initially rejected by the Planning Inspectorate over concerns about its provisions for noise prevention and public transport connections.

Campaigners also argued the additional air traffic will be catastrophic for the environment and the local community.

A revised plan was published by the planning authority earlier this year, which it said could be approved by the government if all conditions were met.

The government says it is now satisfied this is the case, with additions made including Gatwick being able to set its own target for passengers who travel to the airport by public transport – instead of a statutory one.

Nearby residents affected by noise will also be able to charge the airport for the cost of triple-glazed windows.

And people who live directly under the flight path who choose to sell their homes could have their stamp duty and estate agent fees paid for up to 1% of the purchase price.

CAGNE, an aviation and environmental group in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, says it still has concerns about noise, housing provision, and wastewaster treatment.

The group says it will lodge a judicial review, which will be funded by local residents and environmental organisations.

‘Disaster for the climate crisis’

Green Party leader Zack Polanski criticised the second runway decision, posting on X: “Aviation expansion is a disaster for the climate crisis.

“Anyone who’s been paying any attention to this shambles of a Labour Govenrment (sic) knows they don’t care about people in poverty, don’t care about nature nor for the planet. Just big business & their own interests.”

Friends of the Earth claimed the economic case for the airport expansion has been “massively overstated”.

Head of campaigns Rosie Downes warned: “If we’re to meet our legally-binding climate targets, today’s decision also makes it much harder for the government to approve expansion at Heathrow.”

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden welcomed the decision but said it “should have been made months ago”, claiming Labour have “dithered and delayed at every turn”.

“Now that Gatwick’s second runway has been approved, it’s crucial Labour ensures this infrastructure helps drive the economic growth our country needs,” he said.

A government source told Sky News the second runway is a “no-brainer for growth”.

“The transport secretary has cleared Gatwick expansion for take-off,” they said. “It is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election.

“Any airport expansion must be delivered in line with our legally binding climate change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements.”

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