UK mortgage approvals plunge to record low as coronavirus hammers economy June 29, 2020 UK mortgage approvals fell further to hit a record low in May as the coronavirus pandemic continued to hit the housing market, according to the latest Bank of England figures. Some 9,300 new loans for houses were approved last month, down from April’s 15,900. Economists polled by Bloomberg had been expecting 25,000 approvals for May. [...]
Lenders grant 1.6m mortgage payment holidays to homeowners April 28, 2020 Lenders have granted 1.6m mortgage payment holidays to homeowners facing financial difficulties due to the coronavirus outbreak. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in March that households with mortgages would be entitled to three-month payment holidays. Over a third of payment holidays approved so far were done in the first week of the UK’s lockdown. One in [...]
Covid-19: London in Tier 2 restrictions – what are the new rules to follow? November 27, 2020 The covid-19 restrictions have been strengthened since before the lockdown, so what are the new rules for work, home and socialising now that London's in Tier 2
It’s closing time for the nation’s pubs and bars — perhaps for good November 27, 2020 I’ve never considered myself a great fan of pubs. As someone who doesn’t drink beer and who came of age exactly as the golden age of pubs was on the wane (so aficionados tell me, citing the smoking ban as the moment the moment things started going downhill), the appeal has always been limited. But, [...]
Pubs may have to shut to keep schools open, hints Number 10 August 3, 2020 Pubs may have to close in order to meet the government’s promise to reopen schools in September, Downing Street hinted today. The government is “planning for all people to return to school from the beginning of the autumn term”, and this may require venues to temporarily close in order to contain local outbreaks, said the [...]
Elon Musk and Grimes name son X Æ A-12 May 6, 2020 Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and singer Grimes have confirmed they have named their newborn son X Æ A-12. Musk announced the birth of their son on Monday, tweeting: “Mom and baby all good”. He also announced the child would be called X Æ A-12 and Grimes later explained the choice of name. Musk also took [...]
UK contact-tracing app launching ‘within weeks’ as RAF begins trials April 24, 2020 The RAF is testing a contact-tracing app which the NHS will launch in the coming weeks, as part of efforts to ease the nationwide lockdown. The contact-tracing app is part of a wider approach to track and test coronavirus. The government plans to recruit 18,000 people, including 3,000 health workers and specialists, to build and [...]
Asian stocks rise on global lockdown easing optimism May 26, 2020 Asian stocks jumped today on optimism over the loosening of lockdowns around the world and hopes the global economy can get back on track. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 2.8 per cent to 21,322, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added1.4 per cent and South Korea rose 1.1 per cent. There were also hopes [...]
Barratt shares rise on strong forward sales despite Covid-19 hit September 2, 2020 Shares in Barratt Developments rose today as it announced strong forward sales despite taking a hit from the coronavirus lockdown. Forward sales at 23 August stood at 15,660 homes valued at £3.7bn, compared to 13,064 homes valued at £3bn last August. Barratt shares rose 5.7 per cent to 532p this morning. The company today scrapped [...]
Credit card lending fell for the first time in March May 1, 2020 UK consumers’ credit card debt fell for the first time since records began in March, as lockdown measures froze spending. The annual growth rate of credit card lending fell to minus 0.3 per cent, the first negative annual growth since the Bank of England (BoE) started tracking the data. The annual growth rate of other [...]