Wednesday newspaper round-up: Energy bills, O2 , BT/TalkTalk, Meta

(Sharecast News) - John Healey is planning a major intervention to cut energy bills for poorer households in this month's budget, after ministers became alarmed at forecasts that show bills rising by hundreds of pounds in January. The chancellor is working on plans to spend more than £1bn to help energy consumers, the bulk of which is likely to go towards increasing the discount given to households on certain benefits. - Guardian

O2 has struck a record £200m deal to retain the naming rights to the London venue the O2 in what is thought to be the largest renewal of its kind in UK history. The 10-year agreement will extend O2's relationship until at least 2038. It cements the sponsorship as the second longest-running UK stadium naming rights deal after Arsenal's partnership for the football club's London ground. - Guardian

Lisa Nandy is under fire for backing BT's rescue deal for stricken broadband business TalkTalk. Lutz Schüler, the chief executive of rival Virgin Media O2 (VMO2), has written to the Culture Secretary asking her to explain why the Government intervened to clear the way for BT's £400m takeover. Mr Schüler wrote in the letter, seen by The Telegraph: "Protecting customers does not, in our view, require government to predetermine who should ultimately own TalkTalk's consumer and wholesale businesses; credible alternative arrangements should be fully explored. - Telegraph

Regulators have launched an online safety investigation into Meta in the same week the social media giant is conducting a High Court challenge against "burdensome" new laws. Ofcom said on Tuesday that it was assessing whether the US tech company carried out sufficient due diligence before launching a disappearing messaging feature on Instagram, which it owns. The investigation is the first into Meta since the Online Safety Act came fully into force last year and comes as lawyers for the company seek to curb the scope of the legislation. - Telegraph

The chairman of the Financial Conduct Authority has been urged to resign by a transparency campaigner over its handling of a review into whistleblowers. Ashley Alder was challenged repeatedly at the regulator's annual meeting on Tuesday about its decision to use one of its non-executive directors to conduct a review into its whistleblowing operations after the death of Simon Andriesz, a British banker. - The Times