FUND STAR LOSES £139m

FUND manager Neil Woodford has been left nursing a £139m loss following yesterday’s share price plunge at Provident Financial.

Woodford bought into the company in 2015, and has since repeatedly upped his stake while speaking highly of its bosses. Woodford Investment Management currently holds an 18.6pc stake in Provident, making it the second-largest shareholder after Invesco bank.

It is not the only setback suffered by Woodford this year. In April, he was forced to defend the performance of his Patient Capital fund.