Lib Dem candidate Siobhan Benita quits race to become London mayor July 27, 2020 Siobhan Benita, the Liberal Democrats’ candidate for next year’s London mayor election, has stepped down after coronavirus delayed the vote until May 2021. Benita announced her decision today, saying the unpaid role was “very difficult to combine with other work”. Originally Londoners were set to vote on a new mayor in May 2020. However, the [...]
Ryanair sinks to £168m loss in coronavirus-hit quarter July 27, 2020 Ryanair reported a narrower than expected loss in its fiscal first quarter on Monday and said it was impossible to say whether it might turn an annual profit due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Irish airline posted an after-tax loss of €185m (£168.64m) for the three months to 30 June, its first-ever [...]
Government adds five countries to travel corridors list Portugal snubbed July 24, 2020 The government has added five new countries to its list of countries people from England can travel without needing to quarantine on return, but has left Portugal off. It had been widely expected that the Iberian nation would be added to the “travel corridor” list, having been snubbed when the initial list was released three [...]
Luton residents told to stay at home amid fears of local lockdown July 24, 2020 Council leaders in Luton have told residents to stay at home as much as possible amid fears that a rise in infections in the town could lead to a local lockdown. Luton has been designated as an “intervention area” by the government, meaning the town’s infection rate is being monitored closely and further spike in [...]
Face masks in England: The new rules on where and when to wear them July 24, 2020 Face masks are now mandatory in enclosed public spaces in England, after new government rules came into effect on Friday, 24 July. So when do you need to wear them, and in what settings? In shops and supermarkets Face masks are now compulsory if you are entering a shop or supermarket in England, at any [...]
People more likely to contract coronavirus at home, new study finds July 23, 2020 People are more likely to contract coronavirus from members of their own households than from contacts outside the home, a new study has found, as the global race for a vaccine ramps up ahead of a potential second wave in the winter. In a study of around 65,000 people published by the US Centers for Disease [...]
Test and trace scheme misses 20 per cent of coronavirus patients July 23, 2020 The government’s coronavirus test and trace scheme failed to gather the contacts of 20 per cent of patients that tested positive for Covid-19, according to the latest official data. The Department of Health said this morning that 80 per cent of the 3,887 people that tested positive for Covid-19 were contacted by the scheme between [...]
Rishi Sunak ‘turns his back on’ 1m in need of coronavirus support July 23, 2020 MPs today blasted chancellor Rishi Sunak’s coronavirus support measures, saying he has turned his back on 1m Brits during the coronavirus pandemic. The Treasury Select Committee (TSC) today said Sunak’s response has failed to convince members he had done enough to support Brits impacted by coronavirus. “The chancellor has effectively drawn a line under helping [...]
How badly will the UK unemployment rate spike when furlough ends? July 22, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s furlough scheme has so far saved the UK unemployment rate from sharp increases during the coronavirus lockdown, but it is drawing to an end. Consequently job losses are set to spike after furlough concludes in October, according to economists. Currently the government is paying 80 per cent of over 9m British workers’ [...]
Sadiq Khan suggests London tax autonomy in new TfL bailout deal July 22, 2020 London mayor Sadiq Khan has suggested that the government should consider giving the capital freedom to spend its own tax takings to fund Transport for London (TfL). Speaking to the parliamentary transport select committee this morning, Khan said that one of the options for the future funding of the embattled operator should be “proper fiscal [...]