Birmingham Post

Maria Sharapova - in an eye-catching

Brown will not bow as plotters fail

The plot to depose Gordon Brown was close to collapse last night, after the Prime Minister faced down his critics in a tense meeting with Labour MPs. Mr Brown received vocal support from backbenchers at the Parliamentary Labour Party - while his opponents were heard in silence. But he had to defend himself against a few rebels, including former Home Secretary Charles Clarke, who told him to his face he must resign.

SHAREWATCH

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Who: Rob Hunt What: The PricewaterhouseCoopers administrator said yesterday LDV's 850-strong workforce was being made redundant, leaving a skeleton staff of 40. "Sadly, we don't have the funds to keep the employees on," Mr Hunt said during a press conference outside LDV's offices yesterday afternoon.

TODAY'S EVENT

TODAY'S EVENT What: Boyz II Men plus guests Where: Symphony Hall When: 7.30pm Details: One of the most successful R& B male vocal groups of all time returns to Symphony Hall. Between 1992 and 1997, the group sold over 60 million records worldwide and earned a host of Grammies.

Test cricket is the future - and residents need to deal with it

No inquiry at Edgbaston - page 13 The refusal of Communities Secretary John Denham to intervene in the Edgbaston cricket ground planning row comes as little surprise, despite the noisy campaign by residents, MPs and local councillors against Warwickshire County Cricket Club's pounds 32million expansion scheme.

Brown critics prove too timid to act ; COMMENT

Backbench support for Brown - page 1 With one Minister after another walking out on him, and Labour winning just 15 per cent of the vote in a national poll, surely Gordon Brown must be a goner? Well, no. The Prime Minister needs two things to survive - the support of the Parliamentary Party and the support of his Cabinet.

KEY FIGURE

TOMORROW IN THE BIRMINGHAM POST

COMPETITION Michelin hat-trick Win a chance to dine at three of the finest Michelin-starred restaurants in the Midlands CULTURE Travel guide Julia Bradbury has recently finished filming three series of Rough Guide travel programme back to back, visiting a whopping 40 countries..

09.06.2009

BUSINESS NEWS 4-10 Twist at LDV The tangled story of crashed vanmaker LDV took a new twist last night when it emerged that Malaysian company Weststar was bidding to buy the Birmingham business out of administration. Page 4 Shares boost The Quinton- based regeneration specialist behind the pounds 750 million redevelopment of Longbridge has seen a strong take-up of the pounds 102 million share issue announced last month. Page 5 ST sell-off Severn Trent is putting on the market the first 50 of m...

She's committed, passionate, professional and in control ; KEY WORDS

Now Weststar bids for LDV in administration ; AUTOMOTIVE

The tangled story of crashed vanmaker LDV took a new twist last night when it emerged that Malaysian company Weststar was bidding to buy the Birmingham business out of administration. Weststar precipitated the lastest crisis last week when it pulled out of a lastditch deal that could have seen the company, which had debts of more than pounds 75 million, continue as a going concern, saying it had failed to raise the necessary finance.

Tax debt slammed ; UPDATE

HM Revenue & Customs has been criticised over the way it handles tax debts after it emerged nearly a third of all tax payments are late. The Committee of Public Accounts said the Government was owed more than pounds 17 billion in unpaid taxes at the end of March 2008, with the number of tax debts soaring by 22 per cent during the 2007-2008 tax year.

Union slams scrapping of department, months after it was set up ; CIVIL SERVICE

Leaders of senior civil servants have condemned the Government for "wasting" millions of pounds of taxpayers' money by abolishing the skills department. The FDA, which represents 18,000 senior civil and public servants, condemned the decision to merge the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Dius)

Jaguar clues on look of flagship XJ luxury sports saloon ; AUTOMOTIVE

Jaguar reverted to 1960s psychedelia to disguise the look of this very 21st century car. Painted in swirling black and white shapes designed to disguise its body lines, this pre-production version of the company's new flagship XJ luxury sports saloon was photographed on the road somewhere in Warwickshire.

Firm's new shares offer wins investors' support ; REGENERATION

The Quinton-based regeneration specialist behind the pounds 750 million redevelopment of Longbridge has seen a strong take-up of the pounds 102 million share issue announced last month. Eighty-five per cent of St Modwen's shareholders took up the open offer, underwritten by JP Morgan Cazenove and Numis, and the remaining 15 per cent of the open offer shares were allocated to institutional shareholders and other investors.

Weststar could be best hope ; city view

So, can LDV, the Houdini of the automotive world, escape from administration again? It managed it in 1993, again in 2005 and could, just could, pull it off again in 2009. Hopes that the company that refuses to die can live on under yet another owner reside in the three potential bidders who were in touch with its latest administrators for talks within hours of it going into voluntary administration yesterday.

Apprentice runner-up Kate impressed lecturers ; LEARNING

Lecturers who taught The Apprentice runner-up Kate Walsh say she was a shining star well before taking part in the hit BBC programme. Kate graduated from Aston Business School in 2002 with a first class degree in Psychology and Management which, according to senior lecturer Carol Parkes, put her in an ideal position to compete in the show.

Lloyds rights issue success is welcomed ; BANKING

Taxpayers look set to claw back cash from Lloyds Banking Group after shareholders supported a new pounds 4 billion rights issue. Part-nationalised Lloyds - 43.4 per cent owned by the taxpayer - is raising cash to replace pounds 4 billion in Governmentowned preference shares with ordinary shares.

Staff in line for windfall as US giant BlackRock targets Barclays' pounds 8bn global arm ; BANKING

Banking giant Barclays has confirmed that it is in talks with US giant BlackRock over the sale of its fund management arm but said it had to resolve "significant open issues" before any deal. The bank - close to a deal said to value its Barclays Global Investors division at pounds 8.1billion - is likely to take a minority stake in BlackRock of up to 20 per cent after a sale.