European leaders agree to lockdown external borders for 30 days March 17, 2020 European leaders have agreed to implement a 30-day ban on non-essential travel to the EU in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. The measures, which were proposed yesterday by the European Commission, were just one of a number of steps that commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles [...]
Gatwick chief takes 20 per cent pay cut as airport lays off 200 workers March 17, 2020 Gatwick Airport has implemented a number of measures to protect its financial resilience in light of plummeting airline demand due to the coronavirus outbreak. The airport is cutting 200 of its temporary staff and exploring the potential to introduce options for unpaid leave or temporary salary reductions for staff. Chief executive Stewart Wingate will take [...]
Coronavirus: Government pledges ‘whatever it takes’ to help British businesses March 17, 2020 The government has pledged to do “whatever it takes” to support a greater number of British businesses and individuals as the coronavirus outbreak causes major economic disruption. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said government would “stand behind businesses small and large”, pledging government-backed and guaranteed loans “to get through this”. The loan package totalled £330bn, equivalent to [...]
Brexit talks scrapped as coronavirus escalates March 17, 2020 The second round of trade talks between the UK and the EU have been cancelled in light of the escalating coronavirus outbreak. Negotiating teams led by David Frost on the UK’s side and Michel Barnier on the EU’s were due to meet in London tomorrow to continue to thrash out a deal to set the [...]
Britain’s biggest banks warn coronavirus pandemic will hit income March 17, 2020 Some of the largest banks in Britain have warned the coronavirus pandemic will hit their already under-pressure earnings, with a decline in economic activity eating into fee income. Lloyds will delay part of a £3bn technology investment programme in response to the coronavirus pandemic to maintain its capital levels, its chief executive said today, as [...]
Coronavirus: Elderly should stay away from Mother’s Day lunch March 17, 2020 The over-70s should avoid Mother’s Day lunch with their children and grandchildren the chief scientific adviser has said today, as he warns that 20,000 coronavirus-related deaths would be “a good outcome”. Sir Patrick Vallance, who has been one of the two chief medical experts to appear alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson during recent press conferences, [...]
Coronavirus: UK horse racing suspended until end of April March 17, 2020 Horse racing in Great Britain has been suspended until the end of April due to the coronavirus outbreak. The decision by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) will become effective tomorrow. It marks the latest major sporting event to fall victim to the health crisis as authorities ban mass gatherings in a bid to halt the [...]
London Metal Exchange plans to suspend ring trading amid coronavirus outbreak March 17, 2020 The London Metal Exchange (LME) is planning to suspend open outcry trading and shift its business entirely on to electronic systems for the first time in its 143-year history to limit the spread of coronavirus. The LME said today that it expects to temporarily shutter Europe’s largest open-outcry trading venue next Monday to protect traders [...]
Business figures urge government to take swift action to mitigate coronavirus impact March 17, 2020 Some of the country’s top business figures have urged the government to take swift action to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on business in the UK. Speaking to the BEIS committee today, the CBI’s chief economist Rain Newton-Smith said: “We need swift action now to try and protect as many jobs as possible,” [...]
Coronavirus: Major cinema chains close all sites March 17, 2020 The UK’s major cinema chains have announced they will close immediately after the government yesterday ramped up the fight back against coronavirus. Odeon, Vue, Picturehouse and Cineworld have all announced the closure of all their sites across the UK, while London’s BFI Southbank has also temporarily shut after the public were told to avoid public [...]