ExCel London could be used as a hospital to treat coronavirus patients March 23, 2020 The ExCel London centre may be turned into a makeshift hospital to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. The ExCel is located in the Docklands, between London City Airport and Canary Wharf, and is on a 100-acre site. NHS bosses and military planners met yesterday to discuss how the centre could help with the health service’s [...]
Government ‘in talks with Amazon’ over coronavirus test delivery March 23, 2020 The UK government is said to have approached companies including Amazon over delivering coronavirus testing kits to frontline health and social care workers. Whitehall officials are in discussions with the firms about ramping up the availability of tests for healthcare staff as the spread of the virus picks up pace, the Financial Times reported, citing [...]
Matt Hancock: People not social distancing are ‘very selfish’ March 23, 2020 People ignoring the government’s social distancing instructions to stop the spread of coronavirus are “very selfish”, according to health secretary Matt Hancock. Videos and photos emerged yesterday of people gathering in parks across the country, including Richmond Park in London. Busy scenes were also snapped at East London’s Columbia Road Flower Market. This is despite [...]
Coronavirus: PM to rush emergency legislation through the Commons March 23, 2020 The Prime Minister is hoping to rush sweeping new coronavirus legislation through the House of Commons, as the country faces the prospect of a lockdown. MPs will return to the Commons today to debate the government’s emergency coronavirus bill, which was set out last week. Under the proposals, which would be time-limited for two years, [...]
DEBATE: Should government pay wages to workers affected by coronavirus? March 23, 2020 Should the government pay wages to workers whose incomes have been affected by the coronavirus crisis? YES – Sam Bowman, director of competition policy at the International Centre for Law & Economics. This is a very unusual recession. It is self-inflicted, and will hit highly productive and less productive businesses alike. To allow them to [...]
Heed Churchill’s words to the nation: Stand firm and carry on March 23, 2020 “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” These words, often attributed to Britain’s then wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill, are emblematic of his call to never, never, never give up. Today, the world is living through a new hell, fighting a silent invader which moves remorselessly on, ripping through societies, undoing markets, and overturning seemingly [...]
Coronavirus: Government plots further support for self-employed March 22, 2020 The government is exploring ways to provide additional help to self-employed workers amid concerns millions of Brits have been “excluded” from financial support during the coronavirus crisis. Housing secretary Robert Jenrick today said the government was looking at ways to overcome technical challenges relating to supporting self-employed people. “It is more complicated for the self-employed [...]
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson officially announces quarantine of 1.5m people March 22, 2020 Quarantining 1.5m Britons vulnerable to coronavirus will do “more than any other single measure to save life”, according to Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister has officially unveiled the government’s latest measure to combat Covid-19 at today’s press conference, while also telling people to follow the government’s social distancing advice. The measures will force people over [...]
Coronavirus: What does the chancellor’s support mean for businesses and employees? March 22, 2020 The Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced an unprecedented package of measures on Friday to support businesses and employers coping with the economic shock of coronavirus. What is available to companies and employees? How do they access this support? And where are the gaps in provision? Coronavirus business interruption loan scheme Focused on smaller businesses with a [...]
Sadiq Khan warns more Londoners ‘will die’ if people leave their homes March 22, 2020 Sadiq Khan has told Londoners that more people will die from coronavirus if they do not follow the government’s instructions and self-isolate. The capital has been the worst hit region in the UK by the spread of Covid-19, accounting for almost 40 per cent of the country’s 5,018 confirmed cases. Speaking to BBC today, Khan [...]