KMG Promotions Limited was wound up in the public interest in the High Court in Manchester before Deputy District Judge Watkin on 23 March 2020. The Official Receiver has been appointed as the Liquidator.

In considering the petition, the court heard that KMG Promotions Ltd was incorporated in November 2016 and traded as a publisher with registered offices in the Wirral.

Since the company began trading, KMG Promotions Ltd self-published two different publications: Crime Awareness magazine, and Scorch, a fire-prevention magazine.

As a source of income, KMG Promotions Ltd offered prospective clients advertising space, on the understanding that a copy of the magazine was going to be sent to a police and fire station, local to the client. Prospective clients would also receive their own copy of the magazine they advertised in.

Clients, however, began to complain about KMG Promotions’ activities before the Insolvency Service conducted confidential enquiries into the company’s activities.

Investigators uncovered that 771 customers had paid for adverts. But only 340 adverts appeared in the magazines that were available to the investigators and the number of magazines printed were short of the client’s expectations.

Further enquiries found that the company made misleading claims to potential advertisers, including the volume of printing and distribution, KMG Promotions Ltd’s charitable status or not-for-profit business, as well as previous business relationships with the advertisers.

The company falsely informed clients they were calling from the real emergency services and also pursued advertisers using aggressive sales tactics.

Scott Crighton, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:

As part of our enquiries, we spoke to KMG Promotions’ customers and none of them were satisfied with the level of service they received.

The company acted in an unscrupulous manner and thankfully the courts recognised the severity of their actions when they ordered for the publisher to be wound-up.

All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be directed to the Office of the Official Receiver in Birkenhead, quoting LQD5840591, via: Birkenhead.OR@insolvency.gov.uk.

KMG Promotions Ltd (Company number: 10492837) was incorporated on 23 November 2016. The company’s registered office is at: 95 Greendale Road, Wirral, United Kingdom, CH62 4XE.

The petitions were presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on 14 January 2020 at the High Court in Manchester.

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On 22 January 2020, DCMS informed the House that my predecessor had issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN) in respect of the acquisition by Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) of JPI Media Publications Ltd, and thus the i newspaper.

The PIIN triggered the requirement for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to report to me on jurisdictional and competition matters, and for Ofcom to report on the following media public interest consideration:

the need for, to the extent that it is reasonable and practicable, a sufficient plurality of views in newspapers in each market for newspapers in the United Kingdom or a part of the United Kingdom.

I received the CMA and Ofcom reports on by the deadline of 13 March and have today published these on the gov.uk website.

I accept the CMA’s findings that whilst it is, or may be, the case that a relevant merger situation has been created, the merger does not give rise to a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition in any market.

I have also agreed with Ofcom that the merger does not raise concerns in relation to plurality of views in newspapers.

In light of this, and having considered representations submitted by interested parties in response to the PIIN, DCMS has written to the parties today confirming my decision not to refer the merger for a Phase 2 investigation.

The role of the Secretary of State in this process is quasi-judicial and procedures are in place to ensure that I act independently and have followed a process which is fair and impartial.

The new free to use service aims to provide official, trustworthy and timely information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19), and will further reduce the burden on NHS services.

This will help combat the spread of coronavirus misinformation in the UK, as well as helping ensure people stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.

The GOV.UK Coronavirus Information Service is an automated ‘chatbot’ service which will allow the British public to get answers to the most common questions about coronavirus direct from government.

The service will provide information on topics such as coronavirus prevention and symptoms, the latest number of cases in the UK, advice on staying at home, travel advice and myth busting.

The service will also allow the government to send messages to all opted-in users if required.

To use the free GOV.UK Coronavirus Information Service on WhatsApp, simply add 07860 064422 in your phone contacts and then message the word ‘hi’ in a WhatsApp message to get started.

A set of menu options is then presented which the user can choose from and then be sent relevant guidance from GOV.UK pages as well as links to GOV.UK for further information.

Prof Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director, Public Health England, said:

This service will help us ensure the public has a trusted source for the right information about coronavirus, updated with the latest public health guidance and providing assurance that they are not misled by any of the false information circulating.

Matt Idema, Chief Operating Officer, WhatsApp, said:

At difficult times like these, people are using WhatsApp more than ever to connect with and support their friends, family and communities. We are pleased to be able to provide the UK Government with the communications tools to help them answer the public’s questions about the virus with reliable, timely health advice, in order to keep people safe.

Other recent Government communications include:

Earlier this week the government texted people across the UK to inform them of the new rules announced by the Prime Minister on 23 March 2020. Details here – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-sms-messages

The Government has also sent text messages to the vulnerable as part of the shielding package announced by the Prime Minister on 22 March 2020. Details here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19