Thursday newspaper round-up: Poundland, Heathrow, London luxury home sales

(Sharecast News) - The boss of Nats has said he was "the most disliked person in the UK" after air traffic control systems failed twice in September, disrupting flights for hundreds of thousands of passengers. He told an aviation industry conference: "My name is Martin Rolfe, I'm the CEO of Nats - or as I like to think of myself, the most disliked person in the UK in September." - Guardian

MPs have accused the owner of Poundland of extracting millions of pounds from the budget retailer when it was on a "knife-edge" as it seeks extra time to secure a rescue deal. The management of Poundland, which employs 12,000 people and operates 600 stores in the UK and Ireland, will seek a two-week extension of legal protection from creditors from the high court on Thursday morning. - Guardian

Labour will back the construction of a third runway at Heathrow, John Healey has confirmed, ending months of uncertainty over the Government's position on the airport. The Chancellor said he was "frustrated" by the years-long failure to expand the UK's largest airport, promising to accelerate major infrastructure projects. He told the Treasury select committee on Wednesday: "The Government is behind a third runway at Heathrow. I am part of the Government." - Telegraph

Sir James Dyson has handed over control of his farming empire to his children after attacking Labour's "death tax" on farmers. The billionaire inventor has transferred control of Dyson Farming, the largest farming business in the UK, to a company controlled by his three children. Heydon Limited, incorporated in August and controlled by Emily Dyson-Paley, Jake Dyson and Samuel Dyson, acquired the entire share capital of the agricultural business last month. - Telegraph

Property deals in London's priciest postcodes are falling fast, with sales dipping by almost a fifth year-on-year. New data from the LonRes database, which is used by 5,000 estate agencies, surveyors and brokers to record transactions, found that there were 17.5 per cent fewer completed sales in October compared with the same month a year earlier, while the number of homes going under offer fell by more than a fifth, or 21.3 per cent. - The Times

Anthropic's bankers may push its valuation past $1.5trn in next week's initial public offering, it has emerged one day after the artificial intelligence group set a lower target. The company behind Claude launched its marketing roadshow on Wednesday and has received significant demand from investors who want to participate in the hotly anticipated float. - The Times