UK coronavirus death toll rises by 626 to 31,241 ahead of lockdown easing May 8, 2020 The UK government has announced that 626 more people have died from coronavirus since yesterday, taking the total death toll to 31,241. Environment secretary George Eustice said that 4,649 more people had tested positive for Covid-19 since yesterday. That took the total to 211,364. Eustice said that 97,000 people were tested yesterday. That is short [...]
Sajid Javid: UK should run the economy ‘hot’ and support lenders May 8, 2020 Former chancellor Sajid Javid has said the government should “run the economy hot” and lift coronavirus restrictions to encourage growth. He also suggested “bad banks” could be created to help the UK’s lenders which are set to struggle with bad loans as coronavirus crashes the economy. Javid’s intervention came after the Bank of England yesterday [...]
What time is the Queen’s VE Day speech? May 8, 2020 The Queen will address the nation today for the 75th anniversary of VE Day, although celebrations will be muted with the country in lockdown due to coronavirus. Despite the pandemic, Royal Air Force jets will fly over the UK’s four capitals to mark Victory in Europe day, when Nazi Germany surrendered during World War II. [...]
Any easing of lockdown restrictions will be modest, says Raab May 7, 2020 Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said that any easing of the UK’s current lockdown restrictions will be modest. In the Downing Street briefing, he said there is “no change in the rules” over the bank holiday weekend before Boris Johnson’s statement on Sunday. He emphasised that the Prime Minister would reveal details of a “roadmap” [...]
Exit strategy: How and when Boris Johnson will end the UK lockdown May 7, 2020 The Prime Minister is set to reveal a “roadmap” to end UK lockdown measures on Sunday, but what does the exit strategy look like, and when will measures be eased? Last week, Boris Johnson said the UK had “passed the peak” and today chairs a Cabinet meeting that will focus on what restrictions can be [...]
Boris Johnson to announce ‘very limited’ lockdown easing May 7, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to announce a very limited easing of the UK lockdown from next week as authorities seek to restart the economy without sparking a second wave of infections. Johnson will announce the next phase of the country’s virus strategy on Sunday following a review by ministers of the current lockdown, [...]
Brits think furlough scheme should last as long as social distancing May 7, 2020 Britons think the government’s furlough scheme should last as long as social distancing, according to an exclusive poll for City A.M. The poll, conducted by Redfield and Wilton Strategies, found that 57 per cent of Britons want the job retention scheme to continue as long as distancing measures are in place, even if for several [...]
Government misses testing target for fourth consecutive day May 6, 2020 The government has missed its target for coronavirus testing for the fourth day in the row, after just 69,463 tests were carried out yesterday. In the Downing Street daily briefing, communities secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed 69,463 tests had been carried out in the past day. More than 30,000 people have died from coronavirus in the [...]
Germany to reopen shops and restart football in lockdown easing plan May 6, 2020 Germany’s federal government and its 16 states have agreed a plan to loosen lockdown restrictions, with shops to reopen and Bundesliga football to restart. Social distancing rules will continue for another month in Germany and schools are likely to only gradually reopen. Germany’s states have agreed to take responsibility for the timing of the reopening [...]
Rory Stewart pulls out of London mayoral race May 6, 2020 Independent mayoral candidate Rory Stewart has pulled out of the race for City Hall. The contest has been delayed for a year until 2021 due to the Covid-19 outbreak and Stewart, a former Tory cabinet minister, was unwilling to ask his unpaid staff to work a further year. “London remains the greatest city on earth,”Stewart [...]