BARCLAYS CHIEF ‘EPSTEIN LINKS’ ROW

A CITY raider targeting Barclays has stepped up attempts to overhaul the banking giant’s board.

Big investor Ed Bramson is demanding chief executive Jes Staley goes over ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a public letter yesterday, Bramson said he “strongly recommends” Barclays chairman Nigel Higgins remove a proposal to re-elect Staley to the board at the lender’s annual general meeting in May.

City watchdogs are investigating Staley’s links to Epstein.

They met in 2000 when Staley, 63, was head of JP Morgan’s private bank, and the tycoon was one its big money clients.

Staley insists he had “no contact

HOLIDAY park firm Haven is looking for 7000 staff for its 2020 season, while budget hotel chain Travelodge has kick-started a bid to fill 4000 housekeeping roles. whatsoever” with Epstein after joining Barclays. Bramson said Barclays board was “extremely ill-advised” to continue supporting Staley. He added that removing Staley would help “draw a line under this destabilising situation, which has become a circus”. The move came as another large investor in Barclays supported a proposal by campaigners to halt its backing for fossil fuel firms blamed for contributing to climate change. Jupiter Asset Management, which holds 1.15% of Barclays’ shares, added its name to a list of investors which have agreed to vote for an AGM resolution, filed by ShareAction. Greenpeace activists protested at nearly 100 Barclays branches yesterday.

THE climate crisis has helped charity shops buck the high street gloom. Growing awareness of the impact of buying new products saw more people switch to second-hand instead. This led to a 3.2 per cent rise in sales in the final three months of 2019, according to the Charity Retail Association.

POUNDLAND will launch the roll-out of new chilled and frozen departments 60 stores, beginning next week.