Carillion pensions and Grammys joy for Mars

Hello. Here’s your morning briefing:

Carillion, a company responsible for managing a huge variety of public sector and private projects around the UK, collapsed two weeks ago under its debts. Now a group of MPs has criticised the firm’s handling of its pension schemes, claiming it “wriggled out” of payments.

Last year contributions were deferred until 2019, to help shore up Carillion’s finances. The pension schemes overall are in debt and the Work and Pensions Committee will question the chairman of trustees of the company’s DB Pension Scheme later this week.

The committee’s chairman, Labour MP Frank Field, said purported cash flow problems had not stopped Carillion “shelling out dividends and handsome pay bonuses for those at the top”. The Pensions Regulator said it had been “working proactively” to protect pension member benefits.

The charity NSPCC has urged the government to do more to help prevent online grooming, including better use of algorithms to pick up such behaviour. It described the number of cases – 1,316 being recorded in England and Wales in six months of last year – as “staggering”. The youngest victim was a seven-year-old girl. The details followed the introduction of a new offence of sexual communication with a child. The Home Office said social media sites had to take all possible steps to prevent children being exploited.

It’s the biggest awards ceremony in music and the main winner at this year’s Grammys is Bruno Mars. The R&B star’s taken six prizes, including album of the year. But spare a thought for rapper Jay-Z, who was nominated in eight categories, but failed to win any of them. The UK’s Ed Sheeran won two awards. Here are all the details.

By the British Election Study team.

After the surprise of the Conservatives losing their majority in the June 2017 general election, people started looking for an explanation. One theory quickly came to prominence: Jeremy Corbyn had enthused previously disengaged young voters, who turned out in droves to vote Labour. Certainly, Mr Corbyn appears to be popular with young people – he is often pictured surrounded by young supporters and that summer’s Glastonbury Festival echoed to chants of “Oh, Jeremy Corbyn”. But we now know there was no surge in youth turnout.

An investigation by the i suggests children as young as four have been found carrying knives at school. And the Daily Mirror leads with the claim that 133 babies die a year in the UK as a result of sleeping with their parents. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail says a study shows two thirds of teenagers feel bombarded by TV adverts for gambling. Less seriously, the Sun has some fun with the announcement that tourists will be able to book sun loungers in advance. Playing on a cultural stereotype, it says German holidaymakers will no longer get first dibs on a poolside spot by dint of being early risers. Its headline is… “Wish you were herr?”

Poolside race over? Tourists will be able to book sunbeds before leaving home, says Thomas Cook

Today A spacewalk lasting more than six hours is scheduled outside the International Space Station.

16:30 Parliament’s Westminster Hall holds a debate on the laws governing fireworks, including a proposal to ban their sale and use by the public.

1985 Oxford University snubs Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, as academics vote against giving her an honorary degree.