One million employees already registered for job retention scheme April 20, 2020 More than 140,000 firms counting for one million furloughed employees have registered to the government’s coronavirus wage subsidy scheme in its first day. The scheme opened this morning at 8am and received almost 70,000 applications in just half an hour. The job retention scheme sees the government pay 80 per cent of wages, up to [...]
Ex-Home Office chief Sir Philip Rutnam launches legal action against Priti Patel April 20, 2020 Former Home Office chief Sir Philip Rutnam has launched legal action against home secretary Priti Patel. Sir Philip, who was the most senior civil servant in the department, today lodged an employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal and whistleblowing against Priti Patel, according to civil service union FDA. A government spokesperson said: “We do not [...]
Lifting coronavirus restrictions could lead to second peak, says Number 10 April 20, 2020 Easing the country’s coronavirus social distancing restrictions too quickly could cause a second peak of infections, Downing Street has warned. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman poured cold water on the suggestions the lockdown could be eased next month, saying it could mean the virus would “begin to spread exponentially again”. The Sunday Times reported yesterday [...]
Job retention scheme receives nearly 70,000 applications in 30 minutes April 20, 2020 The government’s wage subsidy scheme received almost 70,000 applications in the first 30 minutes of opening this morning as businesses rush to claims funds to pay furloughed staff. The job retention scheme sees the government pay 80 per cent of wages, up to £2,500 a month, for furloughed employees unable to work due to the [...]
Boris Johnson’s cabinet split over coronavirus lockdown period April 20, 2020 Boris Johnson is reportedly dealing with a cabinet split between those who want to end the coronavirus lockdown early and those who want to take a more cautious approach. Various media reports over the weekend said chancellor Rishi Sunak and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove were pushing for the lockdown to be eased to avoid [...]
Coronavirus: Decision to cut Tube services caused overcrowding, say transport watchdogs April 20, 2020 A decision made by Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) to reduce Tube services has caused overcrowding during the coronavirus lockdown, according to the UK’s two largest transport watchdogs. The mayor of London, on numerous occasions, blamed overcrowding on some Tube lines to people using the network unnecessarily at peak times. This caused a [...]
Wage subsidy scheme opens as start-ups get new £1.25bn package April 20, 2020 Applications open today for the government’s coronavirus wage subsidy scheme as the Treasury also announces a further £1.25bn package for start-ups and research and development firms. The job retention scheme will see the government pay 80 per cent of wages, up to £2,500 a month, to furloughed employees unable to work because of the coronavirus [...]
UK coronavirus death toll passes 16,000 April 19, 2020 The UK’s coronavirus death toll passed 16,000 today as another 596 people in hospital died from the virus. More than 120,000 have also tested positive for the virus out of a total of 482,063 tests. Education secretary Gavin Williamson announced the new figures today as he paid tribute to people working in the education sector. [...]
UK considers three-stage ‘traffic light’ plan to exit coronavirus lockdown April 19, 2020 Michael Gove has poured cold water on reports that schools and some shops could be re-opened by next month in an easing of the UK’s coronavirus lockdown restrictions. When asked about a government report first leaked to Buzzfeed about the UK’s three-stage lockdown exit plan, Gove said it was not correct that schools could be [...]
Michael Gove hits out at reports Boris Johnson skipped coronavirus meetings April 19, 2020 Senior minister Michael Gove has defended Boris Johnson’s efforts during the coronavirus crisis after an explosive report claimed the Prime Minister missed a series of coronavirus Cobra meetings. The Sunday Times reported today that Johnson missed five of the crisis meetings in late January and early February when the coronavirus first began to spread outside [...]