Trade minister Conor Burns resigns after ‘intimidating’ member of the public in dispute May 4, 2020 Trade minister Conor Burns has resigned after it was found he had abused his position to “intimidate a member of the public” in a dispute concerning his father. An investigation upheld a complaint that Burns, a long-standing ally of Boris Johnson, used parliamentary stationery to “deal with a purely personal family interest and that Mr [...]
Coronavirus lockdown takes heavy toll on Britons’ wellbeing May 4, 2020 The coronavirus lockdown is taking a heavy toll on Britons’ mental health, new data has shown, with anxiety and unhappiness hitting record levels as people fret over their finances and are forced to stay indoors. Nearly half of people aged 16 and over reported high levels of anxiety between 20 and 30 March, according to [...]
Barclays receiving 35 applications a minute for bounce back loans May 4, 2020 Barclays has received 35 loan applications per minute this morning for the newly launched bounce bank loan scheme, according to the bank’s UK boss. Barclays Bank UK chief executive Matt Hammerstein told a House of Commons committee today that his bank received received 200 applications within minutes of the emergency scheme opening at 8am. The [...]
Defence minister: China has questions to answer over Covid-19 outbreak May 4, 2020 China has questions to answer over the information it supplied about the outbreak of coronavirus, defence minister Ben Wallace has said. Speaking to LBC radio this morning, Wallace said China should be held to account over how quickly it made the world aware of the extent of the crisis. However, he said the “post mortem” [...]
UK launches 100 per cent state-backed ‘bounce back’ loans May 4, 2020 The UK’s smallest businesses will be able to apply for 100 per cent state-backed so-called bounce back loans worth up to £50,000 from today. The government’s bounce back loans scheme provides micro loans worth 25 per cent of turnover, up to £50,000, just 24 hours after applying for them. The minimum loan amount is £2,000 [...]
Coronavirus: Rail unions warn against increasing rail services May 4, 2020 The UK’s three rail unions have urged Boris Johnson’s and other regional leaders to not implement a blanket increase of train services as the coronavirus lockdown eases. The trio of unions said they would “not accept new working patterns that put the lives of railway workers and passengers at risk” and that they “are not [...]
The UK coronavirus death toll reaches 28,446 May 3, 2020 Another 315 people who tested positive for coronavirus died yesterday, bringing the UK total to 28,446. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove announced the latest figures at today’s press briefing. Gove confirmed that Boris Johnson would outline the government’s plan to ease coronavirus social distancing restrictions. “The prime minister’s comprehensive plan will explain how we can [...]
British Chambers of Commerce tells PM to ramp up public spending May 3, 2020 The government must sustain high levels of public spending to help the private sector recover from the coronavirus, according to one of the country’s largest business bodies. British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) president Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith has written to Boris Johnson to say it was “a time to be bold” and that “an expansionary fiscal policy, [...]
Government announces £617m grants for small businesses in shared spaces May 3, 2020 The government today announced a further £617m in grants for small companies that work in shared spaces and are not eligible for business rates relief. The departner for business, energy and industrial strategy (Beis) said the fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs. Beis said it was asking local authorities to [...]
Calls grow for job retention scheme to be extended May 3, 2020 Calls are growing for Rishi Sunak to extend the government’s coronavirus job retention scheme past June. The scheme sees the government pay 80 per cent of people’s wages, up to £2,500 a month, for furloughed employees until the end of June. Boris Johnson next week will announce how the UK will ease social distancing restrictions, [...]