6:18 am, June 23, 2026
EasyJet slams £4.7bn takeover approach as attempt to buy it ‘on the cheap’
EasyJet has blasted a US suitor’s £4.74bn takeover approach as an attempt to buy it ‘on the cheap’ after rebuffing three proposals.
The budget airline said Castlelake’s latest possible offer, worth 625p-a-share, remained ‘highly opportunistic’ and not in the best interests of shareholders.
EasyJet criticised the proposed bid, which had been increased from the previous proposals worth 560p a share and 600p a share.
ONS admits fresh error impacting upcoming jobs data
The Office for National Statistics has admitted to a fresh error which could skew upcoming jobs data.
The UK’s statistics body admitted that issues linked to surveys will lead to a ‘reduced quality’ in its statistics released in July.
The agency revealed in a blog post that it accidentally allocated interviewers to the wrong survey, rather than for next month’s jobs report. As a result, the ONS said its data will include around 1,200 fewer household interviews compared with the previous reporting period, a drop of around 19%.
New Renault Megane E-Tech Electric arrives with sportier design and 310-mile range
Renault has revised its electric Megane E-Tech Electric to bring a more dynamic exterior design and more range than before.
The updated car gets a remodelled front and rear end, redesigned alloy wheels, and because it features a new battery, it sits 20mm higher than before.
The new 67kWh battery brings a range of 310 miles, representing an uplift on the 285 miles offered by the original Megane E-Tech Electric. The maximum DC charging rate has also been raised from 135kW to 165kW, plus a heat pump is is standard equipment.
The markets
The FTSE 100 rose on Monday, and the pound made headway, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed he was stepping down and as talks between the US and Iran appeared to make progress.
The FTSE 100 closed up 74.58 points, or 0.7%, at 10,437.85. The FTSE 250 ended down 3.72 points at 23,197.01, while the AIM All-Share fell 1.56 points, 0.2%, to 794.27.
The pound traded at 1.3254 dollars on Monday afternoon, higher from 1.3227 dollars on Friday. Against the euro, sterling firmed to 1.1587 euros from 1.1532 euros on Friday.
Burnham to give speech on economy after Starmer resignation clears way to No 10
Andy Burnham is set to pledge growth and commit to Labour’s budget rules as he seeks to burnish his economic credentials after Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation left him all but certain to enter No 10.
The former Greater Manchester mayor is expected to give a speech on fiscal policy next week, as first reported by The Times, after returning to Westminster as an MP following his Makerfield by-election victory.
Talks are also said to be taking place about a prospective new-look Cabinet, with energy secretary Ed Miliband and home secretary Shabana Mahmood both tipped as potential candidates to replace Rachel Reeves as chancellor.
Dozens of schools to close amid impending rare red warnings for extreme heat
Dozens of schools have been forced to close and transport bosses have warned people against all but essential travel amid rare red warnings over extreme temperatures that are expected to hit record highs for June.
A ‘heat-dome’ settling over western Europe could bring temperatures of up to 40C in some parts of England and Wales in the middle part of the week, the Met Office has said.
Temperatures for the latest heatwave are likely to overtake the June record set in Hampshire in 1976 by several degrees and could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C which was measured in July 2022.
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Nissan holds talks with government over Sunderland investment after mandate shift
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Weather
Hot and sunny weather will dominate southern parts of the UK today, though isolated thundery showers may linger in eastern and northern England early on, reports BBC Weather. Northern areas will be cooler with variable cloud but largely dry.
Tonight, skies stay mostly clear, with cloudier conditions in the north-west, patchy fog and mist, and occasional drizzle in northern Scotland.
