Jan 18 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
Headlines
- UK should fix Brexit red tape, says trade group https://on.ft.com/3KnEosE
- UK looks at payments to energy suppliers to shield consumers from high bills https://on.ft.com/3A7KqsJ
- BBC output and services under threat from licence fee freeze https://on.ft.com/33qJgg8
- Unilever faces mounting investor backlash over bid for GSK consumer health unit https://on.ft.com/3FwEkDz
- Atlantia wins 950 mln euros bid to acquire Siemens' traffic lights division https://on.ft.com/3fyLAnN
Overview
- The British government should fix post-Brexit red tape over customs and trade processes and issue more visas to address labour shortages, according to the British Chambers of Commerce.
- The UK is exploring a radical intervention in the power market under which the state would make payments to energy suppliers when wholesale gas prices rise sharply in a bid to soften the blow to consumers.
- The BBC has been blindsided by one the toughest funding settlements in the public sector, that will force cuts with implications for the broadcaster's output, staffing and ambition.
- Unilever is facing a growing investor backlash against its 50 billion pounds ($68.25 billion) bid for the consumer health unit of GSK, as its share price tumbled to its lowest level in nearly five years.
- Atlantia, the Benetton-controlled Italian infrastructure group at the centre of the Genoa bridge disaster, has won a 950 million euros ($1.08 billion) bid to acquire a Siemens unit that operates traffic lights in more than 600 cities around the world.
($1 = 0.7327 pounds) ($1 = 0.8765 euros) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)
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