Monday newspaper round-up: Heathrow, diesel cars, empty homes

(Sharecast News) - Plans for a third runway at Heathrow are once again up in the air after the prime minister refused to say whether he backs the "contested" project which is delayed by up to four years. Over the weekend it emerged that Heathrow no longer expects to meet the original 2035 deadline. Instead, the airport hopes to secure planning permission by 2029 and then open the runway "within a decade", meaning it would not be operational until 2039. - Guardian

The price of second-hand diesel cars is falling sharply as the fuel hits a new high at the pumps. Used diesel vehicles were advertised at an average of £13,802 last month, according to Autotrader. That was £850 lower than at the start of the US war with Tehran and just £400 higher than in September 2016. By comparison, Autotrader figures showed the average asking price for a used diesel peaked at almost £18,000 in January 2022, up 25pc in less than a year. - Telegraph

Labour has been accused of threatening property rights after giving councils the power to seize empty homes after six months. Ministers are cutting the period a property must be vacant before local authorities can take control from two years to six months. The property will remain privately owned, but councils can take control through an Empty Dwelling Management Order, which allows them to take over its management and rent it out for up to seven years. - Telegraph

WPP has become the latest company to signal that it is scrutinising the gains being made from deploying artificial intelligence. Cindy Rose, who is attempting to lead a turnaround of Britain's largest advertising group, said it had built "model routing agents" to direct employees to the most appropriate AI model depending on the task. It has also restricted staff from using some cutting-edge tools where access was not justified by their role. - The Times

One of the UK's largest and most successful private companies is to experience its first change at the top of its boardroom in more than 50 years as George Bamford becomes joint chairman of JCB alongside his father on Thursday. The decision ends years of speculation over the future of one of the nation's best-known industrial companies. George Bamford, 45, who founded his own watch company in 2009, is Lord Bamford's youngest son. Reports mooting him as his father's successor in May prompted surprise in the business community; some had thought his elder brother Jo would be in the frame. - The Times