The private equity backer of businesses including Bonhams, the auctioneer, and Amber Taverns is plotting a bid for a portfolio of aquariums earmarked for disposal by the world's biggest theme park operator.
The Chancellor borrowed more than expected at the start of the new tax year, piling more pressure on the public finances ahead of next month's spending review.
Governments "have to be fair" to pensioners but there is a case for people on the top rate of income tax to be excluded from winter fuel payments, Gordon Brown has said.