THE DAILY BRIEFING

PHONE TALKS Vodafone has played down reports of a takeover of US cable company Liberty Global, saying it is in early talks to buy just some of its European assets. It comes as Vodafone blamed the negative impact of its Dutch joint venture with Liberty for sending its revenues falling 3.6pc to £10.3bn in the three months to December 31.

TABLOID TAKEOVER Daily Mirror owner Trinity Mirror is set to seal a £127m purchase of rival publisher Northern & Shell this week, according to reports. The deal will see the billionaire owner of Northern & Shell Richard Desmond hand over titles including the Daily Star, Sunday Express and celebrity magazine OK!

BAGGING SALES Profits at handbag maker Radley fell from £1.8m to £1.2m in the year to April 30 as it reported an 11pc rise in sales to £47.1m. The company said profits were hit as it restructured teams and paid off legal costs following a change in ownership in June 2016.

RECORD EXPORTS British financial services enjoyed a record year of exports in 2016, soaring by almost 16pc to £95.7bn. A report by TheCityUK revealed a marked departure from four years of stagnation where exports increased by just 0.9pc a year on average.

AIRPORT ROW British Airways owner Willie Walsh has hit out at

Heathrow’s ‘monopoly’ on its terminals, saying that the airport’s expansion would provide an opportunity to create competition by allowing independent firms to take control of landing slots.

BUST BUILDERS More than 2,600 UK construction companies fell into insolvency during 2016/17, rising 8pc compared to a year earlier, according to accountants Moore Stephens.