Weekly coronavirus deaths sink to lowest level since March lockdown August 4, 2020 Weekly coronavirus deaths fell more than a quarter in the seven days to 24 July, marking the lowest level since before the lockdown, latest figures showed. England and Wales have now recorded weekly death rates lower than the five-year average for the sixth week in a row, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]
Coronavirus: London R rate catapults to highest in the country October 29, 2020 Covid-19 is now spreading fastest in the capital, according to the latest official estimates, raising fears of a Tier 3 London lockdown. The ‘R rate’ — the rate of spread of infection — has catapulted to a best estimate of 2.9 in London, the highest rate in the country. Figures released today by the Department [...]
Sadiq Khan London mayor election manifesto: Everything you need to know April 6, 2021 London mayor Sadiq Khan launched his election manifesto today by promising Londoners that he would focus on “jobs, jobs, jobs” if re-elected on 6 May. The 100-page document, one-third larger in size than the Tories’ general election winning manifesto in 2019, outlined policies on areas such as the economy, the environment, transport, crime, housing and [...]
Microsoft boss warns against rapid transition to working from home October 6, 2020 Microsoft’s chief executive has warned against the total transition to working from home during the pandemic, saying it would be “replacing one dogma with another dogma”. Satya Nadella, who has served at the helm of Microsoft since 2014, said it was “best not to get overly dogmatic” about where employees can work, despite the world’s [...]
Fifty rebel Tory MPs form anti-lockdown Covid Recovery Group November 11, 2020 Dozens of rebel Conservative MPs have formed a new backbench group to protest the imposition of new lockdown restrictions across the country. Former chief whip Mark Harper and ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker will head up the new Covid Recovery Group (CRG) as chairman and deputy chairman. Harper has also recruited prominent senior backbenchers including Sir [...]
Land Rover Defender Hard Top review: The van that can July 24, 2021 The best selling car so far in 2021 is… a van. The Ford Transit Custom is currently beating the Vauxhall Corsa in the SMMT sales rankings – and by a clear margin of several thousand, too. ‘Building back better’ clearly means a focus on vehicles driven by people who build or make stuff – and now Land Rover is getting in on [...]
Number 10 will no longer hold daily coronavirus briefings June 23, 2020 Downing Street will no longer hold daily press briefings, the government announced today, as England begins to emerge from months of lockdown ahead of a nationwide relaxation of social distancing rules. Number 10 said that this evening’s 5pm news conference will be the last to be held on a daily basis, as the rate of [...]
Waitrose and Lidl impose stricter coronavirus measures in supermarkets March 24, 2020 Supermarkets are ramping up measures to protect staff and customers amid the coronavirus outbreak as the UK heads into lockdown. On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered all “non-essential” shops to close, leaving just supermarkets and pharmacies among those still open. Supermarkets have struggled to keep shelves replenished as Brits stockpiled goods amid the outbreak, [...]
Boris Johnson considers M25 border among new lockdown measures August 2, 2020 Boris Johnson is considering a fresh raft of lockdown measures in England including restricting travel beyond the M25, as the Prime Minister scrambles to contain a spike in infections across the country. Plans are being assessed after a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases last week forced the Prime Minister to apply the brakes on [...]
Chancellor’s furlough extension ‘the right call’, say business bodies November 5, 2020 Business bodies have welcomed the chancellor’s extension of the furlough scheme until the end of March as “the right call”, but warned there was “more to do” to help businesses through winter lockdowns. Rishi Sunak today announced additional financial support for employees across the UK unable to work amid national lockdowns. The government will pay up [...]