France and the Netherlands placed on UK quarantine list August 14, 2020 From Saturday, people travelling to the UK from France and the Netherlands will have to quarantine for 14 days after a surge in cases in the countries. From 4am tomorrow, those returning from the countries, as well Monaco, Malta, Turks & Caicos and Aruba will be forced to self-isolate for two weeks. They follow Spain, [...]
It’s time for a fresh UK-China relationship August 14, 2020 The UK needs a fresh template for its relationship with China. Central to this should be a differentiation between strategic and non-strategic areas. This would allow UK businesses to know where the government has set its red lines. In 2015, the UK and China’s relationship was red hot—a “golden era”—with President Xi making a state [...]
Getting young people back to school in September is critical to their health August 14, 2020 Being at school is good for health. Even now, in the middle of a pandemic, schools can be important for wellbeing by keeping a sense of normality. Yet the parents, students and teachers weighing up the risks on how safe classrooms will be for young people in September might not be aware of the strong [...]
PM Johnson toughens enforcement measures ahead of lockdown easing August 13, 2020 Enforcement measures in the UK are set to get tougher ahead of further lockdown easing this weekend, with fines for breaking the rules set to double. Fines for repeat offenders of mandatory face covering rules will double to a maximum of £3,200 in the coming weeks, the government said today. New fines will also be introduced for [...]
Johnson says UK will be ‘ruthless’ over quarantine as French cases spike August 13, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said said Downing Street is prepared to be “ruthless” with countries over quarantine rules, after he was asked whether France would be removed from the government’s safe-travel list. The UK has imposed a 14-day quarantine period for arrivals from countries such as Spain and Belgium, as infections rates rise and fears mount [...]
Irish PM: ‘Landing zone’ for a Brexit trade deal in sight August 13, 2020 The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator has today said an EU trade deal can be struck next month as the Irish Prime Minister also sees a potential “landing zone”. Boris Johnson’s chief negotiator – and close ally – David Frost said on Twitter today that “our assessment is that agreement can be reached in September”, with [...]
Business groups find little reason to celebrate US call to not raise UK tariffs August 13, 2020 Major UK business advocacy groups have said the US’ decision to not slap more tariffs on British goods is no cause to celebrate as businesses continue to feel the pinch from existing measures. The US made the decision today to not impose planned punitive tariffs on £5.75bn of British goods as a part of a [...]
Staff at M&S sandwich supplier self-isolate after coronavirus outbreak August 13, 2020 Nearly 300 people have tested positive for coronavirus after an outbreak at a food plant in Northampton. A local council representative told the BBC that 297 people had tested positive, after Greencore in Northampton started “proactively testing” workers. Northampton is one of 29 regions in England to be put on a watchlist for a potential [...]
New test and trace app will not alert one in three people after a positive test August 13, 2020 Almost one-third of people who should be alerted by someone else’s positive coronavirus test through the new NHS Test and Trace app will not receive a notification. The new app is being trialled in the Isle of Wight and Newham, East London, after the original one was scrapped during the testing phase. The app will [...]
The cold blast of popular opinion: ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s takes on the home secretary August 13, 2020 It was a young political journalist who summed up one of the oddest political storms of the summer so far when she tweeted on Wednesday: “Who had ‘MP argues with ice cream company’ on their 2020 bingo card?” In case you missed it, the story in brief: Priti Patel, the home secretary, has been making [...]