GTR told to pay ￡15m to improve rail services, Parliament finds government in contempt, and more top news

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The Department for Transport has demanded that Govia Thameslink Railway spend ￡15m on service improvement after a timetable change sparked weeks of chaos in May. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling stopped short of stripping GTR of its franchise over the botched scheduling, which led to hundreds of train cancellations, arguing that it would “cause further and undue disruption for passengers”. The sanction will mean that GTR, which is planning a further timetable change in December, will not make any profit in 2018.

The UK government will today publish the legal advice backing its plans to leave the EU after Parliament found it in contempt for initially refusing to do so. The unprecedented vote foreshadows trouble ahead for Prime Minister May as she attempts to get her EU-approved Brexit deal endorsed by Parliament. The UK government is also likely to face headwinds after an EU senior legal adviser said Britain could stop its withdrawal from the bloc before the March 29 deadline.

Some 140 people could lose their jobs after digital estate agent Emoov announced that it was entering administration. Chief executive Russell Quirk told the Financial Times that Emoov, which is eight years old, had “lots of buyers hovering” despite “voluntarily [applying] for administration”. Emoov is one of a number of startups that looked to disrupt the real estate sector by offering a branch-less, fixed-fee model. Even traditional real estate agents have struggled in 2018 as house prices plunge over Brexit uncertainty. 

New allegations against Ted Baker boss Ray Kelvin include claims that he subjected employees to 15-minute hugs and forced others to “slow dance”. Both male and female members of staff have complained of harassment by the 62-year-old founder of the fashion brand, with one telling the BBC that his hugs — which the firm have defended — were “drawn-out, long [and] awkward”. As Ted Baker announced an investigation on Tuesday, shares in the firm plunged to a three-year-low.

Hackers have stolen names and email addresses of 100 million users of question-and-answer website Quora, the company confirmed. In a blog post by its chief executive Adam D’Angelo, Quora confirmed that encrypted passwords and questions posed by users had also been stolen. He said that law enforcement officials had been informed and that an investigation was underway. Quora does not publish a geographical breakdown of its user base bu, according to Alexa, just over 5% of visitors to the site are based in the UK.

Idea of the Day: Leaders, especially female ones, shouldn’t deny who they are, advises Aston Martin president of the Americas Laura Schwab.

“My simple act of being who I am, and sharing stories… has surrounded me with a community of people who understand that we can all get things done while being ourselves.”

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— Orlando Crowcroft