Rishi Sunak extends furlough scheme for businesses facing lockdown October 9, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the furlough scheme for six months for businesses across the UK required to close under local lockdowns, as further restrictions loom ahead for parts of England. Sunak today said the government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to businesses forced to shutter under fresh lockdown measures. Firms whose premises [...]
UK business activity shrinks as fresh lockdown hits services sector November 23, 2020 UK business activity contracted this month as the rollout of fresh lockdown measures took its toll on the services sector. The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropped to 47.4 in November, according to initial readings, down from 52.1 in October. The figures represent a five-month low and the first time since June [...]
Mayor warns London faces new restrictions ‘very soon’ October 12, 2020 London mayor Sadiq Khan has warned that the capital faces fresh lockdown restrictions “very soon” to quell a rapid rise in infections. Khan said it is “highly likely” that Londoners will face further measures to stem the spread of the virus ”because cases are rising so quickly across the city”. It comes as the number [...]
Coronavirus lockdown: Al fresco dining could be allowed within weeks May 17, 2020 Some restaurants, pubs and coffee shops could be allowed to open within weeks, which would be a month earlier than expected. Ministers are reportedly considering plans to allow hospitality venues to open in outdoor areas in what would be a boost to the sector. The plans would allow pubs, restaurants and coffee shops with outdoor [...]
London brewers launch ‘Pub in a Box’ for self-isolation March 17, 2020 East London-based Signature Brew has launched a “Pub in a Box” for those self-isolating amid the coronavirus outbreak. It comes just a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Brits to avoid the pub as part of measures designed to encourage “social distancing” amid the global pandemic. Founder Sam McGregor said the Pub in a [...]
Test and Trace to scrap 14-day isolation period for Covid contacts December 11, 2020 People who have been in contact with someone who tested positive with coronavirus will be given daily Covid tests instead of having to isolate for a fortnight under new government plans. The Test and Trace pilot scheme is being trialled in several schools, businesses and universities across the country. Close contacts of people with Covid-19 [...]
Pub industry warns Boris Johnson that lockdown measures put ‘hundreds and thousands of jobs’ at risk March 16, 2020 The UK pub industry has tonight written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning him that the government’s guidance that members of the public should avoid going to bars and pubs presents the sector with an “existential crisis”. In a letter from British Beer and Pub Association chief executive Emma McClarkin, the industry warned that “thousands [...]
New lockdown guidance gets widespread approval in Westminster June 23, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement today that the two metre social distancing will be scrapped in favour of new “one metre-plus” guidance from 4 July was met with widespread approval from Westminster, as the public prepares to revitalise the British economy after months of lockdown. Business Ministers welcomed the new guidance as providing a lifeline [...]
No set timescale for two-metre social distancing review June 15, 2020 There is no set timescale for the government’s review into the two-metre social distancing rule in England and a decision is “weeks away”, according to Downing Street. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told journalists today that it would be a “comprehensive review”, but gave few details on what would be included. “It will be a [...]
Who speaks for business? Government advice in a crisis September 25, 2020 It has been another week of regulations and restrictions, another round of measures to try to beat the Covid-19 spread which has started to creep up again as we move into autumn. On Monday, the government sent its top boffins, Professor Chris Whitty and Professor Sir Patrick Vallance, to face the press unchaperoned. This, surely, [...]