BORIS JOHNSON TO FACE CONFIDENCE VOTE TODAY

The prime minister Boris Johnson will face a confidence vote in his leadership of the Conservative Party after enough MPs submitted letters calling for a contest (Sky News). It will take place between 6pm and 8pm this evening.

A FIFTH OF BUSINESSES SAY COST OF LIVING CRISIS IS A BIGGER THREAT THAN THE PANDEMIC 

A fifth of companies expect the cost of living crisis will be worse for their business than the pandemic, according to a study by BDO (The Times).

The survey of 500 medium-sized business leaders showed that the biggest threats are rising energy costs, inflation and disruption to supply chains.

Separately, insolvency and restructuring specialists are preparing for an uptick in activity as businesses struggle with increasing costs (The Telegraph).

NEWS IN BRIEF

Around 70 companies with more than 3,300 workers will today start a six-month trial to test a four-day week with no loss of pay (Financial Times).

Industry body Propertymark has said the number of properties available to rent has fallen sharply, leading to bidding wars among prospective tenants (BBC News).

The European Central Bank is set to strengthen its commitment to prop up vulnerable eurozone countries’ debt markets if they are hit by a sell-off (Financial Times).

Bonuses paid to the UK’s bankers, insurance brokers and other financial sector workers have hit a record high and are rising more than six times faster than average wages in the UK, according to the Trades Union Congress (The Guardian).