the remaining debenhams stores are to be closed permanently after the brand was bought by the onlineof debenhams will have a domino effect in reducing footfall for other shops? this will disproportionately affect women, who traditionally held many more roles in the retail sector, and many of these roles are now going towards distribution centres, where as we know, the gender balance is different. we are doing all we can to assist the sector - in these very difficult times. there was bad news for grey squirrels in the week. 0riginally introduced from america, in the past century, numbers have rocketed, and now they're officially classed as a pest. they're blamed for the decline of their native cousin, the red squirrel. now, a minister had news. we support work by the uk's squirrel accord to develop an oral contraceptive to reduce the grey squirrel population. now the government's confirmed it's delaying laws to protect nature, due to pressure on parliament from the coronavirus pandemic. mps spent the afternoon debating amendments —— mps spent tuesday afternoon debating amendments to t

, but they— boo—hoo and asos buying debenhams, but they don't want the premises, they only— but they be done online. so there has to be some _ be done online. so there has to be some way— be done online. so there has to be some way of— be done online. so there has to be some way of getting money back into the economy to pay notjust some way of getting money back into the economy to pay not just for covid, — the economy to pay not just for covid, but _ the economy to pay not just for covid, but for future things. sol think— covid, but for future things. sol think many— covid, but for future things. sol think many would welcome this. and to be _ think many would welcome this. and to be honest, not many people would mind paying a little bit more if it meant _ mind paying a little bit more if it meant that amazon and the big online companies _ meant that amazon and the big online companies paid their fair share in tax. , ., ., ., ., , companies paid their fair share in tax. �* ., ., ., ., , ,., tax. jo, i am going to stay with you because you're _ tax. jo, i am going to stay with you bec

it sealed a similar deal for debenhams last week, covering the brandon website but not its shops.nd loss of 12,000 employees. arcadia's collapse has been among the biggest corporate failures of the coronavirus pandemic so far. lockdowns have crushed an already struggling high street, accelerating the move toward internet shopping. nearly 180,000 retail jobs were lost last year. meanwhile, onlinretailers are booming. handpicking the bones. -- and picking the bones. kate: n/a end of an era for shoppers in the u.k. mark: indeed. thank you very much. the whole effect of this pandemic on so many aspects of business is massive. thank you very much indeed. let's turn our attention to focus on colonial times, prices pieces -- priceless pieces of artwork stolen from war zones. you can look to arc a lot -- to archaeological sites. they often end up on the global market, a market worth some 15 billion -- $15 billion each year. very fluid figure. identifying works of arts is among the rest is a tough task. . but not an impossible one as you will see. reporter: it is a small room. tiny -- tigh

a few weeks ago, boohoo bought debenhams, the brand.l be empty in many towns and cities| be empty in many towns and cities across the country, which at one time would have been extremely desirable estate.— time would have been extremely desirable estate. absolutely stop on an emotional _ desirable estate. absolutely stop on an emotional and _ desirable estate. absolutely stop on an emotional and nostalgic- desirable estate. absolutely stop on an emotional and nostalgic level i an emotional and nostalgic level lots of people have memories of going to debenhams and top shop stores to buy clothes. asos was a selling top shop close on its website. to some degree the transition had already happened. now with the confirmation that asos is going to buy these names, it is the final nail in the coffin. the labour party is calling for a national task force to be set up to tackle a crisis over flammable cladding. mps will debate the issue in parliament today. 72 people died in the grenfell tower fire injune 2017, but an estimated 700,000 people ar

boo hoo just bought debenhams. again they bought the brand and web—site and not the stores.of moves continue.— the labour party is calling for a national task force to be set up to tackle a crisis over flammable cladding. mp5 will debate the issue in parliament today. 72 people died in the grenfell tower fire injune 2017, but an estimated 700,000 people are still living in homes with flammable cladding, as sarah corker reports. a bombshell has just been dropped on us with this cladding. caught up in britain's building safety crisis. these sums of money are absolutely eye—watering, and something that we could never afford. thousands of people are trapped living in unsafe homes. these flat—owners in salford say they face repair bills of up to £100,000 each. and if i'm made bankrupt by this, i lose myjob, . my career, and my home. this tower block in south london is having its cladding removed — paid for by government funding. but across britain, an estimated 700,000 people are still living in homes wrapped in dangerous materials, now facing huge repair bills. labour says the g

empty retailspace, if reckoned today that all this empty retail space, if you add in the closure of debenhamsotball pitches. a lot of gaps to be filled. ., ,, , ,., ., ~ football pitches. a lot of gaps to be filled. ., ,, , ., ~ , ., the former first minister of scotland, alex salmond, will not now appear tomorrow at an inquiry being held by members of the scottish parliament on the government's handling of harassment complaints against him. mr salmond is locked in a dispute with the committee over what material can be published. alexandra mackenzie is in glasgow. why won't he appear tomorrow? alex salmond was due to appear at the holyrood enquiry into the government's handling of sexual harassment complaint against him tomorrow but it was confirmed this morning that this session will now not go ahead. the former first minister had sent a letter to committee members yesterday. he said he was willing to appear at any point until next tuesday, when the first minister is due to give her evidence. but he wanted certain written evidence that he had previously submitted to be published so it can be

the shops will close, much the same when i will close, much the same when debenhams was bought.ofjobs now at risk between the two companies, debenhams and arcadia, 25,000 jobs on uk high street is likely to disappear as a result of these deals. as part of the arcadia group, we know there is burtons, dorothy perkins and wallace, and we are told they could be an entire break—up of the arcadia group between boohoo and asos. there, you can see, top shop, top man and miss selfridge will have new owners. those brands will be integrated into the asos website. as we have said, it has been a dreadful time on the high street, debenhams as well, the arcadia administration meaning 13,000 jobs disappear so around 25,000 jobs at risk now. there is no confirmation about whether boohoo will buy those other brands in the arcadia group but confirmation asos buying top shop, top man and miss selfridge, paying £265 million for those crown jewels in the arcadia empire. £265 million for those crown “ewels in the arcadia empire.i in the arcadia empire. thank you, ben. in the arcadia empire. thank you,

over what the high street with mike in future, because if you take the arcadia group, alongside debenhamsntry as a result ofjust the collapse of those two firms. that is the equivalent of 190 football pitches around the country lying empty. so i think without any radical change to the way taxes are charged on bricks and mortar retailers, it is likely to get much worse before it gets better. remember, the more shops empty and high streets, the less attractive they are to go to, which just speeds up they are to go to, which just speeds up the change. so these retailers today are calling for a fundamental overhaul of how the system is taxed, how what they are charged with a hope of making it more fairfor those bricks and mortar retailers to compete with those more nimble and in many cases much cheaper online rivals. that's an extraordinary statistic about the football pitches. clearly, the high street is a state transition, exacerbated by the covid crisis, but this was going to happen anyway. is there any way, looking further down the line, of thinking, how will it look every few years, yes,

the job losses that we�*ve seen over the job losses that we�*ve seen over the past few weeks with debenhamsell. thank you. then- _ tesco, asda and morrisons are among the major retailers calling for online stores like amazon to pay more tax once the pandemic has ended. they�*ve written to the chancellor, rishi sunak, asking for what they call a "more level playing field". our business correspondent katie prescott reports. another consequence of the pandemic — online retailers are doing a roaring trade, while high street stores have had to close. seniorfigures who run and own 10,000 bricks and mortar shops are questioning whether traditional tax structures on the value of property still make sense, as tax on shops is often far higher than warehouses. there are some of those businesses that say, unless they get to a fairer position in terms of how they�*re trading in respect of online retailing, which gets a very easy ride currently, with the current business rates system, unless we can get to a fairer position, then this situation, as i say, started before the pandemic but has been really ex

the arcadia group, debenhams, that push towards online retail away from traditional high streets.hat to use your words down the line there will be a day of reckoning for people who will be able to get back to jobs people who will be able to get back tojobs or people who will be able to get back to jobs or those that may found that theirjob no longer exists or exists in a very different from the job left before this crisis began. lots of concern. as you said, some reason for optimism, the number of vacancies in the number of free jobs that people can apply for rising slightly but there is still a long way before the jobs market can get back to the store to stability it saw before crisis began. thank you very much- — during lockdown, many church services have become virtual, but one vicar from all saints belvedere decided to use his new live—streaming skills to engage people in a slightly different way. reverend simon archer began 'gaming for god', broadcasting video games on social media, inviting people to watch and chat. it's all about being part of an online community, but he fi