The dastardly Mr Deedes

Thirsty Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley, who now regrets buying Premier League returnees Newcastle United from Sir John Hall in 2007, says the £55m deal was ‘done very quickly’ while he was holidaying in the Caribbean. He says: ‘I was in Barbados having a reasonably good life, shall I put it that way.’ So possible he’d glugged a rum cocktail or two. Boy-done-good Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, reiterates his opposition to Brexit, telling Management Today: ‘I believe it will affect the economy and that affects everyone.’ Perhaps, but talking down Britain’s prospects is never wise. Especially since ‘Cor Blimey’ Charlie, 64, is said to court a Knighthood. Sir Richard Branson says his relentless publicity-seeking was inspired by the late airline tycoon Sir Freddie Laker, whom he says, ‘taught me the value of leading from the front and being happy to use myself as the face of the brand’. Wonder if dressing as a trolley dolly avec lipstick, high heels and fishnet stockings, as Beardie once did to promote Virgin Atlantic, was quite what sage Sir Freddie had in mind. London- based Morgan Stanley banker Mathias Pestre-Mazieres has quit his job to concentrate on show jumping after investing the money he’s made over the past ten years in horses. ‘It seemed like the right time to move on,’ he says. Quite so. Somehow I’m reminded of legendary City writer Christopher Fildes’s observation that when a boss purchased a string of racehorses it was a sure sign his eye wasn’t on the job and had developed ideas above his station. Heathrow’s third runway won’t be ready until 2026 at the earliest. The Hinkley Point Power plant is unlikely to be up and running before 2025. Meanwhile, it’s announced restoration work to Westminster’s Elizabeth Tower means Big Ben’s famous bongs fall silent until 2021. In the midst of all this, would it depress you to learn San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, which traverses nearly two miles of water, was built and ready for use inside just four years?