Police on standby to help supermarkets in London lockdown March 19, 2020 Police could be called in to support UK supermarkets to deter aggressive behaviour in the event of a London lockdown as part of measures to delay the spread of coronavirus. Politicians and supermarkets have both urged the public to stop panic buying. However, demand for groceries has continued to spike. Shelves have been stripped and [...]
US stocks plummet again as traders shrug off coronavirus stimulus March 18, 2020 Wall Street plunged once again today despite the prospect of a $1 trillion (£850bn) fiscal stimulus package to support the economy during the coronavirus outbreak and yet more action from the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones industrial average index was last down 10.7 per cent, the S&P 500 had shed 9.7 per cent, and the [...]
Pound crashes to 1980s lows amid coronavirus sell-off March 18, 2020 The British pound has suffered a historic plunge to its lowest level since 1985 as concerns mount about the economy amid the coronavirus outbreak and as investors flock towards the dollar. Sterling was last down four per cent against the dollar at $1.158, its lowest point since the economic turbulence of the 1980s and one [...]
Coronavirus: UK schools will shut from Friday ‘until further notice’ March 18, 2020 UK schools will be shut from Friday afternoon “until further notice”, the education secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed. Schools will remain open for children of key workers and those who are “vulnerable”, he told the Commons today, saying the situation had changed sufficiently that they could no longer remain open. “The spike of the virus [...]
Coronavirus: Government poised to impose London-only restrictions March 18, 2020 Boris Johnson has indicated that Londoners should brace themselves for capital-specific restrictions, in the hope of flattening the curve of the coronavirus outbreak. Multiple sources have said measures including restricting travel and shutting all but essential shops and services in line with measures seen in other European capitals, could be brought in as early as [...]
Coronavirus: NHS confirms 32 more deaths in UK March 18, 2020 The NHS has confirmed that there have 32 more deaths from coronavirus, taking the total death toll in the UK to 104. Earlier the Department of Health has confirmed that there have now been 2,626 coronavirus cases in the UK, up from 1,950 cases yesterday. It is the biggest daily surge of confirmed cases yet, [...]
BoE governor Andrew Bailey: Don’t sack workers due to coronavirus slowdown March 18, 2020 The new Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said companies thinking about laying off workers should first consider the support the government and Threadneedle Street has made available to them during the coronavirus outbreak. Bailey also said he would not rule out any steps for the Bank of England at this stage, leaving the [...]
Eurozone bond yields jump after another ECB blunder March 18, 2020 Italian bond yields suffered a big intraday spike today after a European Central Bank (ECB) council member suggested monetary policy was at its limits amid the coronavirus outbreak. Yields on Italy’s 10-year bond shot up as much as 60 basis points (0.6 percentage points) to touch three per cent before falling back to around 2.296 [...]
Coronavirus: Schools in Scotland and Wales to close March 18, 2020 Nicola Sturgeon has announced that schools in Scotland will close in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Schools will be shut from Friday and may not open after the Easter break, and could stay closed for the whole of the summer term, the First Minister said. Sturgeon said Holyrood was still working out what this meant [...]
Coronavirus: Prime Minister pledges legislative protection for Britain’s renters March 18, 2020 The Prime Minister has said private renters will receive legislative support to protect them from evictions as a result of the coronavirus outbreak during a sober and subdued PMQs. With just a handful of MPs in the Chamber, the leader of the opposition Jeremy Corbyn took a less adversarial tone in his questioning, which focused [...]