Government outlines workplace rules for UK companies to relax lockdown May 4, 2020 Companies must limit hot desking and introduce protective screens once the UK lockdown eases and people return to offices, a government document says. Staff canteens will stay closed while ministers will push employers to encourage home-working and stagger shift times, the draft document reportedly suggests. The business department has drawn up seven such documents that [...]
UK coronavirus lockdown could last until June March 29, 2020 The UK is set to to be in coronavirus lockdown until June, according to the government’s leading epidemiology adviser. Professor Neil Ferguson said it was “optimistic” that the UK’s lockdown measures would end by May, and that early June was more likely. It comes as Boris Johnson is set to write to every household in [...]
Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings eye Whitehall overhaul December 16, 2019 A newly emboldened Prime Minister is expected to be planning a major shake-up of Whitehall, overturning many of the reforms brought in by Theresa May and cutting back on the number of government departments. Boris Johnson is understood to be looking at scrapping the Department for International Development (DfID), long seen by the Tory right [...]
UK: Brexit trade deal demands ‘go beyond’ other EU agreements May 20, 2020 The government released legal texts for the proposed EU free trade deal yesterday, with some trade experts claiming the UK’s demands are in excess of what Brussels has allowed in previous deals. Talks between the EU and UK are at a crossroads, after little progress has been made on several key areas in the first [...]
Debate: Is it appropriate for businesses to invoke a ‘wartime spirit’ during the coronavirus outbreak? March 25, 2020 As the coronavirus outbreak curtails practically every aspect of our daily lives, some have compared efforts to fight it to the fabled “wartime spirit” of World War II. Is this appropriate, asks City A.M.? Yes, says Rob Nowell, global marketing director at Edge by Ascential Around 80 years ago, World War II caused entire sectors [...]
Businesses call for clarity on lockdown as fears grow for firms and jobs April 27, 2020 Business leaders’ group the Institute of Directors (IoD) has called on the government to provide more information about reopening the economy as bosses grow fearful about their firms’ prospects after the coronavirus outbreak. It comes as a report shows that one in three jobs are at risk in some parts of the country, including the [...]
Bank governor Andrew Bailey warns against lifting coronavirus measures too quickly April 22, 2020 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has warned against lifting coronavirus lockdown measures too quickly and putting people’s safety at risk in a bid to boost the economy. Bailey added that a “false start”, when lockdown measures had to be reinstated, “would damage people’s confidence very severely”. The governor’s intervention come amid a heated debate [...]
UK immigration no longer ‘top of mind’ issue, says new report March 16, 2020 Immigration is no longer a “top of the mind” issue for Britons, according to new research. A report from think tank British Future found immigration ranked as the ninth most important issues for voters, with 41 per cent saying they rated the issue as “very important”. The pro-immigration think tank said this was in contrast [...]
13-year-old boy from London dies as UK coronavirus death toll jumps April 1, 2020 A 13-year old boy from Brixton who was treated for coronavirus has died, London’s King’s College Hospital has confirmed, as UK coronavirus cases continue to rise. Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, from Brixton in south London, is believed to be the youngest person to die from the coronavirus in the UK. A spokesperson for the hospital said [...]
Arm sells cybersecurity business to Tory donor’s private equity firm March 1, 2020 British chipmaker Arm has sold its cybersecurity division Trustonic to a private equity firm run by Tory party donor Edmund Lazarus. EMK Capital last week announced it had snapped up the cyber firm from Arm and Gemalto, a Dutch cyber firm now owned by Thales Group. Trustonic, which was was founded in 2012 as a [...]