Thursday newspaper round-up: Defence contractors, Bentley, McDonald's

24th Sep 2026 07:07

(Sharecast News) - Defence contractors have promised to create 40,000 apprenticeships, work experience placements and jobs for young people each year, as Wes Streeting claimed to be overseeing a "ministry for growth". Labour is keen to demonstrate that the rapid increase in defence spending planned for the coming years, which may necessitate tax rises, will result in jobs in the UK. - Guardian

Bentley is launching its first fully electric car - complete with a drum soundtrack to replace the growl of a combustion engine - as part of a £350m investment in its UK business. The vehicle, an SUV called the Torcal, is Bentley's cheapest, starting at £173,000, and will be built at its factory in Crewe, securing the jobs of the 4,000 workers there. - Guardian

England's first new reservoir in 30 years is expected to be delayed, raising concerns about water shortages. Havant Thicket reservoir, in Hampshire, secured planning permission for construction in 2021, and was scheduled for completion in 2029. However, regulator Ofwat said on Wednesday that the project, which is a joint venture between Portsmouth Water and Southern Water, would not be completed until 2034 after it paused the scheme because of rising costs. - Telegraph

A venture capital fund set up by Henry Dimbleby, the co-founder of Leon, has secured £20 million from Tesco and a commitment to be its anchor partner as it attempts to transform Britain's food system through "bold" new innovations. Bramble Partners, which launched in early 2024, targets companies with "ideas capable of creating real impact" on food in areas including healthier eating, affordability and climate change. - The Times

McDonald's is betting on AI drive-thru restaurants, fast-food chicken and an $8.5 billion fund to help modernise restaurants as it battles to recapture customers and reverse a sliding share price. The world's biggest burger chain set out ambitious new goals as part of a growth plan unveiled at an investor day in Chicago. Central to those plans is a target of expanding its share of the cooked chicken market - nuggets, bowls and burgers - by 1.5 percentage points, to take about 20 per cent of the total global market. - The Times