Four ferry firms sign £80m post-Brexit freight deal October 13, 2020 Four ferry firms have signed contracts with the Department for Transport (DfT) worth a combined £77.6m to provide freight services after Brexit. Brittany Ferries, DFDS, P&O and Stena Line will between them provide extra capacity for the equivalent of 3,000 heavy goods vehicles a week. The new contracts will ensure that vital medical supplies and other [...]
Sadiq Khan says new London Covid restrictions this week are ‘inevitable’ October 13, 2020 Sadiq Khan has said new Covid restrictions in London are now “inevitable” just a day after the capital was put into the lowest risk category by the government. Khan said today that all the vital indicators show London is certain to be put into the tier two category within days, meaning the capital would be [...]
New Lib Dem mayoral candidate calls for City of London offices to be converted into homes October 13, 2020 The Liberal Democrats’ new London mayoral candidate has called for empty office space in the City of London to be converted into affordable housing. Former MEP Luisa Porritt – who was today unveiled as the Liberal Democrats’ candidate for the 2021 mayoral election – told City A.M. that using offices left empty by a potential [...]
Can the UK’s post-Covid economy benefit from a booming medical cannabis industry? October 13, 2020 As the government tries desperately to salvage a shattered economy, an unlikely but profitable lifeline presents itself: medical cannabis. Cue tired old jokes about how the only way people have been able to cope with the disruption of the past six months is by getting stoned. Finished? Now listen — because the medicinal cannabis industry [...]
With friends likes these… the UK is better off walking away than signing up to an EU deal October 13, 2020 When it comes to Brexit deals, Australia may be a lot further away from the EU than Canada — but right now, it’s looking a fair sight better. With time running out before the “crunch” EU summit which begins on Thursday, it appears likely that the UK will not get a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) [...]
Coronavirus: London escapes new restrictions, but City Hall says it won’t last October 12, 2020 London will not have any new Covid restrictions imposed on it, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson today outlined a new three-tier alert system. However, Sadiq Khan has warned this could change within days. London will be put into the lowest level category, medium risk, meaning that the current restrictions will remain the same. Read more: [...]
Sketch: How to communicate effectively (according to the UK government) October 12, 2020 As the government unveils its latest lockdown restrictions through Twitter, James Warrington imagines comms discussions in the heart of Westminster At a time of national crisis, it’s crucial to communicate effectively. Can you imagine if, at the height of a pandemic, the public didn’t know what was going on? Unthinkable, I know, but it’s a [...]
Government Covid leaks ‘eroding trust’ with businesses, says Chambers of Commerce October 12, 2020 One of the UK’s largest business lobby groups has slammed the government for “eroding trust” with the private sector thanks to a slew of anonymous briefings and rumours over Covid restrictions. The British Chambers of Commerce said “speculation and rumour have badly eroded trust between Westmisnter, local government and our businesses communities”, adding that the [...]
Enough with the fear — it’s time we began to accept this virus October 12, 2020 Covid-19 is the biggest change we have experienced for generations. And like every major change that is forced upon us, the secret to success is to overcome our fears and begin to accept it.
Almost unnoticed, Europe hurtles into decline October 12, 2020 The string is almost played out. Despite a generation of frantically trying to change the subject — be it by focusing on their own arcane (and very boring) institutional struggles, the problems of other countries (usually the US), or fatuously announcing that every obvious setback is merely a chance to move “the project” of European [...]