Thursday newspaper round-up: UK Power Networks, Starlink, farmers
By Michele Maatouk
Date: Thursday 26 Feb 2026
(Sharecast News) - A French utility has agreed to buy the owner of the electricity cables and power lines across London, the south-east and the east of England in a deal worth £10.5bn. Paris-headquartered Engie said on Wednesday that it had struck a deal to buy UK Power Networks (UKPN) in a "major milestone" for the company's ambition to become the "best energy transition utility". - Guardian
Millions of Britons will have access to mobile phone service in remote rural areas from Thursday as Elon Musk's Starlink is rolled out for £3 a month. The service, launched in partnership with Virgin Media O2, will boost mobile signals for O2 subscribers in remote, rural areas, allowing them to send WhatsApp messages and use apps such as maps, Find My Device and BBC Weather. - Telegraph
Farmers have accused Tesco of putting Britain's food security at risk by leading a "race to the bottom on price". The boss of the UK's biggest supermarket was grilled by senior figures from across the agriculture sector on Wednesday, who accused the business of effectively "giving away" British produce on the cheap. - Telegraph
The bosses of some of Britain and Europe's biggest banks have joined forces to criticise "overly complex" rules on the industry, piling further pressure on regulators to loosen restrictions on lenders. Writing in The Times, the chief executives of the British banks Barclays, HSBC and Standard Chartered, as well as the bosses of European lenders including Santander, Deutsche Bank, UBS and BNP Paribas, argued that Europe risks further "regulatory divergence" with the United States, where the Trump administration has been cutting back requirements on the industry. - The Times
The British Business Bank and the government's defence venture capital fund have backed a $100 million fundraising by the world's largest space technology investor, capitalising on the buzz around the sector created by the "SpaceX effect". The fund is the third to be closed by Seraphim Space since the London-based investment firm started a decade ago. - The Times
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