theo leggett is here. how is it that morrisons has overtaken eg group? it isa it is a good question, we have seen a weekend of bids and counter bids, interesting for business people, but what has happened is the bids on the table now seem to be pretty much equivalent to one another. so basically, as we understand, they both offer to protect 16,000 jobs, they are both promising to keep 1100 stores open, to pay off mccoll s about £170 million of debts, and protect the interests of the members of the pension scheme. so all of thatis of the pension scheme. so all of that is pretty much equivalent now, it is what the creditors were looking for and what mccoll s were looking for and what mccoll s were looking for. so the advantage morrisons now has is that it is already closely associated with mccoll s. they have a joint venture together where morrisons operates several hundred stores under the morrisons daily brand and it is a major wholesale supplier of mccoll s. so unwinding all of that
and the first results are coming in for wales and scotland, and counting is under way in northern ireland, where they re looking to form a new government. the other main stories this lunchtime: as another attempt is made to rescue civilians from the steelworks in mariupol, we visit a town trying to rebuild after russian attacks. the supermarket giant morrisons proposes a last minute rescue deal for mccoll s, the convenience store chain on the brink of collapse. and will young speaks for the first time about the death of his twin brother rupert, who took his own life after years of struggling with alcohol addiction. and coming up on the bbc news channel jubilant scenes at ibrox, as rangers can start preparing for their first european final in m years.
fighting. reason being, it would allow the russian forces to join up from allow the russian forces to join up from crimea to the eastern regions of ukraine, from crimea to the eastern regions of ukraine, strategically significant, but also it puts economic pressure on ukraine. it seals economic pressure on ukraine. it seals them economic pressure on ukraine. it seals them off from the black sea. and thirdly, it is a propaganda wing for russia and thirdly, it is a propaganda wing for russia. they have this state sponsored victory day on monday state sponsored victory day on monday. any kind of gain in mariupol will be monday. any kind of gain in mariupol will be something that vladimir putin will be something that vladimir putin can will be something that vladimir putin can show to his people to say, look, putin can show to his people to say, look. what putin can show to his people to say, look, what we are doing in ukraine isjustified and look, what we are doing in