Friday newspaper round-up: Andrew Bailey, The Telegraph, pensions, Michael O'Leary

(Sharecast News) - The UK is on the brink of signing a £1.6bn trade agreement with Gulf states, amid warnings from rights groups that the deal makes no concrete provisions on human rights, modern slavery or the environment. The deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council - which includes the countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - is within touching distance, making it a fourth trading agreement by Keir Starmer after pacts were struck with the US, India and the EU. - Guardian Andrew Bailey has urged the UK government to deepen ties with the EU, as he warned a breakdown in global trade would make it harder for the Bank of England to control inflation. In a speech in Dublin on Thursday, the Bank's governor said a stronger relationship between London and Brussels could "minimise negative effects" of Brexit on trade. - Guardian

An 11th-hour attempt to gatecrash the sale of The Telegraph with a "British bid" has been rejected. The latest approach from Dovid Efune, which includes funding from the hedge fund manager Jeremy Hosking, has been ruled out, according to multiple sources. - Telegraph

Government pension reforms could put "millions of people's pensions at risk", increase the prospect of scheme "collapses" and lower returns, experts have warned. Pensions specialists, campaigners and businesses issued the warning after the government said it would push ahead with plans to change the law to make it easier for employers to dip into pension schemes. - The Times

Michael O'Leary, the longstanding boss of Ryanair, has qualified for share options worth more than €100 million after stock in the Dublin-based airline hit a six-year-old price target. Shares in Europe's largest low-cost carrier closed above €21 for a 28th consecutive day, meeting a condition of a share-option scheme originally set in 2019 on the eve of the pandemic. - The Times