MPs reject plan to delay Brexit, Apple CEO hints at lower iPhone prices, and more top news

The news professionals are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation on today's stories in the comments.

MPs have voted to reject a plan to delay Brexit. They also voted in favour of a proposal that would see the controversial Northern Irish backstop replaced with “alternative arrangements”. Prime Minister Theresa May is now preparing to take the revised deal back to the EU – which has previously said it is not open to renegotiations – ahead of a second parliamentary “meaningful vote”.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has hinted lower iPhone prices may be on the way. The tech giant saw its first decline in revenue and profit during its holiday quarter earnings in more than a decade, prompted by a fall in iPhone sales. CEO Tim Cook suggested that Apple customers outside of the US could benefit from cheaper iPhone prices in future. The price of the most expensive iPhone in Britain has risen 83% from ￡789 in 2015 to ￡1,449 today.

Mike Ashley has set his sights on another retail takeover, battling ScS Group for struggling furniture retailer Sofa.com. The owner of Sports Direct has approved a multi-million pound offer for Sofa.com, which was put up for sale last month, reports Sky News. Ashley is thought to be competing against ScS Group, the listed fabric and leather sofa retailer. Meanwhile, Ashley-owned Mash Holdings is facing a fine after being six months’ late filing its accounts.

Domino’s Pizza has admitted it may have opened some stores “a year or two early”, after slicing its profit guidance. Despite selling more than 535,000 pizzas in the UK on the Friday before Christmas – equivalent to 12 a second over a 12-hour trading day – Domino’s warned it will report full-year profits at the lower end of guidance amid “growing pains” in its international business. Domino’s fell short of plans to open 75 new UK sites last year, reducing the total to 60.

US firms are lobbying the UK to change its standards on beef and drugs post-Brexit. US agriculture industry groups want UK standards to become more closely aligned with those of the US, including lower tariffs on agricultural goods and overturning a 30-year ban on the sale of growth hormone-fed beef. Meanwhile, the US drugs company lobby is seeking changes to the NHS drugs approval process to allow it to buy more of US drugs.

Idea of the Day: We all have the potential to become leaders, but developing these skills is “a never-ending journey,” says Frontier Leadership co-founder Emma Kirkwood.

“I believe that we all have a leadership capacity and leadership strength within each of us, and that our leadership strengths will come out at different times.”

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— Natalie MacDonald