Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin slams lockdown measures as ‘total chaos’ after pub chain sinks to loss October 16, 2020 JD Wetherspoon shares sank more than 13 per cent this morning as the pub chain swung to a loss for the first time since 1984 during the pandemic. Chairman Tim Martin slammed recent lockdown measures as “total chaos”, after months of closures during the coronavirus crisis hammered the pub group’s sales and revenue. The results [...]
We’re heading from London lockdown to national breakdown October 16, 2020 While London entering Tier 2 lockdown at midnight tomorrow is nowhere near as drastic as the Tier 3 lockdown imposed on the Liverpool City Region, it’s the size and symbolism of the capital that counts. With each day that passes, businesses in the capital, like those around the rest of the country, can feel the [...]
What the new London lockdown measures mean for YOU October 16, 2020 Millions of Londoners will face tougher restrictions from Saturday, as the capital is set to shift from Tier 1 to Tier 2 from midnight tonight. Ministers were briefed on the new measures this morning, following a sharp spike in coronavirus cases across the capital. Health secretary Matt Hancock later confirmed that Essex will join London on “high” [...]
Friday Debate: Is the move to put London under Tier 2 restrictions unjustified? October 16, 2020 Is the move to put London under Tier 2 restrictions unjustified? Join the debate Luke Johnson, entrepreneur and chairman of Risk Capital Partners, says YES. So the lockdown zealots have won, and London is to face yet more onerous restrictions on our civil liberties — even though hospital admissions for Covid-19 are roughly 90 per [...]
Italy added to quarantine list as Crete travel ban lifted October 15, 2020 Italy has been added to the UK’s quarantine list after cases surged to more than three times the set threshold for admission. From 4am on Sunday morning, people entering the UK from the country will have to self-isolate for 14 days. According to the latest figures, Italy is now reporting 64.4 cases per 100,000 over [...]
London lockdown: Will the City’s small businesses survive new restrictions? October 15, 2020 Small firms in the City of London have spent the summer in lockdown trying to survive and adapt to the government’s coronavirus regulations. Pubs, shoe repair shops, barbers, dry cleaners and cafes have battled to survive the initial forced closure during lockdown, followed by a sharp decline in City footfall as most office workers remained [...]
Brexit: Macron and Merkel clash over hopes for UK trade deal October 15, 2020 Hopes for a trade deal with the EU remained ambiguous at today’s EU summit, with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel disagreeing over whether the UK will secure a deal before the Brexit deadline. Macron told a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels today: “I hope to finalise a Brexit deal in [...]
London, Essex and parts of Surrey to enter Tier 2 lockdown restrictions October 15, 2020 London, Essex and Elmbridge are set to move to Tier 2 from midnight tomorrow, meaning the capital will be shift from “medium” to “high” alert. Care minister Helen Whately told London MPs this morning that London will move from Tier 1 to Tier 2 on Friday night into Saturday. The new restrictions mean a ban [...]
Nine per cent of employees on furlough as scheme nears end October 15, 2020 Just over nine per cent of Britain’s workforce remain on furlough with less than a month to go before the scheme is replaced by less generous job support measures, a survey showed. Some 9.1 per cent of workers were furloughed during the two weeks to 4 October, according to a survey of businesses by the [...]
Beware the risk to economic stability if banks are asked to shoulder the full burden of Covid-19 October 15, 2020 The economic cost of Covid-19 has been — and will continue to be — immense. As the Bank of England publishes its surveys on bank liabilities and credit conditions today, it is a reminder that much of that cost will fall on the financial sector, and within that, on the larger banks. But how that [...]