Budget 2020: Beer duty increase scrapped March 11, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced today that he will scrap the planned beer duty increase in a move to protect pubs. He also announced that duty will be frozen on wine and cider, and said that the business rates discount for pubs will increase from £1,000 to £5,000. Sunak said: “I’m also pleased to announced that [...]
Budget 2020: Sunak continues fuel duty freeze March 11, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced fuel duty will be frozen for another year. The freeze was first announced in 2010 by then chancellor George Osborne and has remained in place ever since. 36 conservative MPs had written to the Sunak asking him to keep the freeze in place. “I am pleased to announce today that [...]
Chancellor Rishi Sunak extends sick pay amid coronavirus fears March 11, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today announced that sick pay measures will be extended to anyone advised to self-isolate due to coronavirus. In his Budget speech this afternoon, Sunak said anyone in isolation will be able to get a sick note by calling 111, while payments will be made from day one rather than day four. The [...]
Budget 2020: Business rates cut for more small leisure and retail firms March 11, 2020 Small retail, leisure and hospitality businesses will be exempt from paying business rates for one year as part of an emergency budget to protect the economy from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. All retail, leisure and hospitality businesses with a rateable value of less than £51,000 will be exempt from paying business rates over [...]
Tech giants summoned to Downing Street in coronavirus crackdown March 11, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has summoned major tech firms to Downing Street tonight as the government cracks down on misinformation about coronavirus. Executives from all big social media companies are set to attend the Tech CEO Round Table, where they will be asked to commit “data, assets and expertise” to the fight against the outbreak. [...]
Treasury deep-cleaned on eve of Budget after official’s partner tests positive for coronavirus March 11, 2020 The Treasury was deep cleaned last night on the eve of today’s Budget announcement after an official’s partner tested positive for coronavirus. Officials have been told they can work from home today, despite it being one of the biggest days in the fiscal calendar. The Treasury confirmed a Buzzfeed report that the unnamed official has [...]
Dignity shares plunge as it suspends dividend March 11, 2020 Funeral company Dignity’s shares plummeted today as it continued the suspension of its dividend following a 31 per cent drop in underlying pre-tax profit to £37.7m for 2019. That fell short of an expected £38.7m to send Dignity’s shares crashing 23 per cent to 385.8p. The UK’s only listed funeral provider said fewer people dying [...]
Rate cut reaction: Businesses welcome Bank of England emergency stimulus March 11, 2020 UK businesses, banks and academics have welcomed the Bank of England’s emergency interest rate cut and raft of other measures to support the economy as it slows amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Bank slashed rates to 0.25 per cent – the joint-lowest on record – at an emergency meeting this morning. It also offered banks [...]
Budget: Chancellor says coronavirus will be ‘front and centre’ as PM wishes minister speedy recovery March 11, 2020 This morning’s Cabinet meeting was dominated by a debate around coronavirus, after it emerged overnight that a health minister had tested positive. Mid Bedfordshire MP Nadine Dorries, who is a health minister, revealed she had the disease but was “over the worst of it”. She raised concerns about her elderly mother who “began with the [...]
UK coronavirus: Seventh Brit dies as European cases surge March 11, 2020 A 53-year-old woman has become the seventh Brit to die after contracting coronavirus, the Foreign Office confirmed this morning. The woman died in Bali, according to Indonesia’s health ministry, marking the first death in the country linked to coronavirus. A spokesperson for the Indonesian government said the patient was already “critically ill” when she was [...]