NEW: Vodafone has pledged £1.5bn towards improving its UK mobile network this year upon the completion of the merger with Three. However, the company's 2025 results were dampened by its German operation, which shed over 50% of its TV customers last year. ft.com/content/ab9cfd…

NEW: TalkTalk has been late making millions of pounds of payments to its suppliers, including Openreach and CityFibre, as the company battles cash flow issues. This comes just months after sharesholders injected £235mn into the company. W/Euan Healy on.ft.com/4jtor4z

EXC: BT’s Openreach has threatened to block new TalkTalk customers in an escalating dispute over unpaid bills. The UK’s largest broadband provider issued the warning this week, which could derail the struggling telecoms operator’s turnaround efforts. on.ft.com/445qYNV

The CEO of Liberty Global has claimed the business secretary is “anxious” for large telecoms companies to buy the UK’s struggling “altnet” broadband providers over fears many could collapse and leave customers without internet… More here: on.ft.com/4jLfeVu

🚨NEW: The boss of BT has said that advances in AI could mean more job cuts at the company beyond the 40k already announced, while opening the door to a possible future spin-off of Openreach. FREE HERE: on.ft.com/4kBwf5G

The CEO of dating app Bumble has criticised staff in London for "freaking out" after she cut 30% of jobs at the company. Whitney Wolfe Herd said the "centre of gravity" was now the US, as that was "where the talent pool is right now." w/Costas Mourselas on.ft.com/4khBM0g

“London’s not the first choice, that’s the frank reality”. Bumble chief executive Whitney Wolfe Herd has criticised staff for “freaking out” after announcing the company would eliminate more than 160 roles in London. Latest from Kieran Smith and me

Exclusive: The Tony Blair Institute participated in a project to develop a postwar Gaza plan that envisaged kick-starting the enclave’s economy with a “Trump Riviera” and an “Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone” ft.com/content/0b1bc7…

ft.com/content/22cb54… ‘No honour among thieves’: M&S hacking group starts turf war. by Kieran Smith

🚨: DragonForce, the ransomware group linked to the recent cyber attacks on M&S, Harrods and the Co-Op has begun a turf war with its rivals. The move may trigger a battle within the industry that could bring more hacks and further fallout for victims… on.ft.com/3GuEtOe

Check out this fun story about the internal “beef” between hacking groups in the FT today!

NEW: The surprising success story of British fibre broadband — the FT takes a deep dive into how the U.K. went from laggard to leader in providing faster and more reliable internet services to millions of households. W/ Alan Smith Free here: on.ft.com/4kBX5tS

SCOOP: CityFibre is set to announce its long-awaited £2.3bn refinancing later today or Monday, in a crucial move for the UK's third largest broadband network. More here free: on.ft.com/44qHWGT

SCOOP: BT Group are set to appoint Virgin Media O2 Patricia Cobian to replace Simon Lowth as the company’s new CFO. More in Financial Times Due Diligence newsletter tomorrow.

SCOOP: Liberty Global has offered voluntary redundancy to over a third of its direct employees and plans to sell one of its two private jets, in an escalation of long running restructuring efforts at the telecoms group built by “cable cowboy” John Malone. on.ft.com/4ocM3hF

Hard times at Liberty Global as it has to sell its private jet. Great story by Kieran Smith ft.com/content/dd4ba6… via @ft

Such a shame to lose ITV Cycling coverage of the #TourDeFrance after this year. Thanks for being a crucial part of how I got into the sport Ned Boulting 🏳️‍⚧️, David Millar and others.

WPP reports H1 2025 operating profit down 48% YoY to £221M and halves its interim dividend ahead of a strategic review, weeks after cutting its FY 2025 guidance (Kieran Smith / Financial Times) ft.com/content/342931… mediagazer.com/250807/p8#a250…

Covering WPP's results for (out of office) media monitor Daniel Thomas this morning. - Dividend halved - Operating profits down 47% - Headcount reduced by 7k YoY.. Quite the in-tray waiting for new CEO Cindy Rose, who is set to arrive in September.

‘It’s a safe place for an American nutter’ Safe to say, JD Vance’s visit to the Cotswolds has evoked some emotions among the locals… My dispatch from Chipping Norton here: on.ft.com/47nYQHN