Rishi Sunak vows to protect UK’s entrepreneurs in conference speech October 5, 2020 Rishi Sunak has vowed to create opportunities for the UK’s entrepreneurs after the Covid crisis, while also foreshadowing future “hard choices” on public spending. Sunak used his first conference speech as chancellor to say it was his “single priority” to to “create, support and extend opportunity to as many people as I can” and “to [...]
Boris Johnson: Contacts of missing positive Covid tests now being traced October 5, 2020 Boris Johnson has said that contacts of all 16,000 people who tested positive for coronavirus, but were not logged into the database, are now being contacted by NHS Test and Trace. Johnson said that some of the missing data “got truncated and it was lost”, but that everyone who tested positive has been contacted and [...]
Rishi Sunak warns Boris Johnson against another Covid lockdown October 5, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has today called his government’s 10pm curfew “frustrating” as he warns against the prospect of a future national lockdown. Sunak, who is the cabinet’s leading voice against imposing more stringent Covid restrictions, also denied that his Eat Out to Help Out scheme helped spur the country’s second spike in infections. On the [...]
PR outfit Hawthorn poaches BBC veteran Ross Hawkins: ‘right opportunity at the right time’ October 5, 2020 Ross Hawkins is leaving the BBC after nearly two decades, joining Westminister public relations firm Hawthorn Advisors, the political correspondent confirmed to City A.M. “It’s been brilliant fun [at the BBC], but this is the right opportunity at the right time,” Hawkins said. The seasoned reporter, who joined the BBC in 2001, said one of [...]
Ursula von der Leyen in self-isolation October 5, 2020 European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is self-isolating after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive for coronavirus. In a tweet, she said that she had attended a meeting with a person who had contracted the virus last Tuesday, and will self-isolate until tomorrow. “I’ve been informed that I participated in a [...]
UK launches £238m Covid unemployment programme October 5, 2020 The government has today launched a £238m unemployment programme to provide skills and training to people who have lost their jobs during the Covid crisis. The Job Entry Targeted Support scheme will provide participants with CV and interview training, individual work coaches and “specialist advice on how people can move into growing sectors”, according to [...]
Priti Patel promises overhaul of the UK asylum system October 4, 2020 Home secretary Priti Patel has vowed to deliver the “biggest overhaul” of the UK asylum system in decades. Patel used her speech at the Conservative party conference to promise a “firm, but fair” asylum policy to get control of the increasing number of immigrants illegally crossing the Channel. Patel has reportedly been considering a wide [...]
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson says it’ll be a bumpy road until Christmas, as new Covid-19 cases top 10,000 October 4, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning said it’ll “be bumpy until Christmas” dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. The PM told the BBC the government was taking a “balanced” approach between saving lives and protecting the economy. “The best thing we can do now for all those who have suffered in the course of this pandemic [...]
Johnson launches transport review to boost economy and strengthen UK ties October 3, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched a review aimed at improving transport links across the UK, including a possible bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, as part of a plan to boost the pandemic-hit economy and strengthen ties between its member nations. The study will consider air links within the country, road and rail links in [...]
PM to hold last-minute Brexit talks with EU’s von der Leyen October 2, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson will hold discussions with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen by phone tomorrow as the UK and EU try to strike a last-minute Brexit trade agreement. The latest and last round of scheduled talks between the two sides ended today. A deal remains a way off, with tensions still running [...]