DEBATE: Should the mayor of London move City Hall to the Royal Docks? June 25, 2020 Should the mayor of London move City Hall to the Royal Docks? Joanne McCartney, statutory deputy mayor of London, says YES. The catastrophic economic consequences of Covid-19 have already hit London’s economy hard. Unemployment is rising. Millions are furloughed. Tax revenues have fallen. London councils face a budget shortfall of £1.3bn this year. Transport for [...]
A message from a former Extinction Rebellion activist: Fellow environmentalists, join me in embracing nuclear power June 25, 2020 As the lockdown measures we have become so familiar with over the past three months are slowly eased, discussions are turning to how to move forward with recovering from the economic hit of Covid-19 in a way that also addresses climate change. I have a long history of campaigning on environmental issues, most recently as [...]
Give Covid graduates the chance to succeed June 25, 2020 This is a year like no other for graduates. Those leaving university this summer face new and unprecedented challenges in making their way in the world. Recruitment freezes have been imposed, job offers have been rescinded, and whole sectors of the economy are facing existential challenges. So where does that leave our university leavers? We [...]
CBI urges government to extend business loans scheme June 25, 2020 The CBI has urged the government to extend the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) until November, as part of a wave of proposals to keep businesses alive as the UK faces its worst recession on record. The business body, which represents around 190,000 UK companies, today called on the government to extend the deadline [...]
Westferry documents suggest Jenrick intentionally saved developer £50m June 24, 2020 Documents released today by Robert Jenrick suggest the housing secretary intentionally carried forward a planning decision over the Westferry housing scheme in order to save its developer from having to pay £50m to the local council. The housing secretary bowed to pressure from Labour earlier today and released 129 pages of documents relating to his decision [...]
UK coronavirus death toll rises by 154 as Johnson lambasted for track and trace app June 24, 2020 A further 154 people in the UK have died after contracting coronavirus, the Department for Health and Social Care announced, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson was accused of misleading the public over the UK’s trace and trace app in the Commons this lunchtime. The 154 coronavirus-related deaths announced today takes the total number of Covid-19 [...]
Barnier: Brexit deal ahead if Britain stops backtracking June 24, 2020 Britain can still achieve a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union as long as the UK stops “backtracking” on its commitments, the EU’s chief negotiator said today. In a virtual think-tank event this afternoon, Michel Barnier called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to give “clear signals” that the UK is ready to work towards [...]
London’s nightclubs and casinos slam ‘suicidal’ new coronavirus guidelines June 24, 2020 London’s nightclubs and casinos have slammed Boris Johnson’s decision to exempt them from a list of venues allowed to reopen in July as “suicidal”, and urged the government to provide financial support to prevent further redundancies in the sector. The Prime Minister yesterday announced that pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, theme parks, galleries and hairdressers will [...]
Conservative MP Tracey Crouch diagnosed with breast cancer June 24, 2020 Tory MP Tracey Crouch has announced that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will not return to parliament for the foreseeable future. The MP for Chatham and Aylesford today issued a statement on Twitter saying: “Unfortunately I have been diagnosed with breast cancer. It came as a bit of a surprise but it [...]
Jenrick set to release documents on £1bn Westferry property deal June 24, 2020 Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has bowed to political pressure and confirmed he will release “all relevant information” relating to his controversial Westferry Printworks planning decision later today. Jenrick’s decision to give the green light to the East London site 12 days before its developer, former Daily Express owner Richard Desmond, donated £12,000 to the Conservative [...]