Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak do quick U-turn and will now self-isolate July 18, 2021 Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have been forced to make a U-turn and will now self-isolate after being pinged by the NHS Test and Trace app last night. The pair U-turned just two-and-a-half hours after first saying they were taking a part in a pilot that meant they would not self-isolate, after being in contact [...]
Jenrick warns of coming ‘frustration and disruption’ as hundreds of thousands to be ‘pinged’ by app July 18, 2021 Robert Jenrick has today warned that the next month will be blighted by “frustration and disruption” as hundreds of thousands of people are set to be pinged by the Test and Trace app. The housing secretary also said the government stood by the decision to only exempt double-jabbed people from self-isolating from 16 August as [...]
UK worker shortage: Home Office to announce five-year work visas for ‘skilled’ refugees July 18, 2021 Priti Patel is set to announce a new five-year visa for refugees fleeing war, reserved for those who can show proof they have the skills to fill jobs in the UK that are suffering a shortage of workers. The home secretary will next week reveal a new displaced talent mobility scheme, offering refuge to highly [...]
Nigel Farage will host own prime time show on GB News July 17, 2021 The Reform UK party leader has announced he will host a weekday evening show called “Farage” on GB News starting on 19 July, and said he “will not be taking the knee” on the show. “Watch my new Prime Time evening show on GB News from next week. Tune into “Farage” Mon – Thurs at [...]
Health Secretary Sajid Javid tests positive for Covid-19 July 17, 2021 The new health secretary Sajid Javid has announced he’s tested positive for coronavirus and has “mild symptoms”. “This morning I tested positive for Covid,” Javid wrote in a tweet. “I’m waiting for my PCR result, but thankfully I have had my jabs and symptoms are mild. “Please make sure you come forward for your vaccine [...]
Government launches summer jobs site to stave off UK labour shortages July 16, 2021 The government has launched a summer jobs site in a bid to stave off labour shortages that have hit UK businesses across most sectors. The collision of the pandemic and Brexit has driven workforce shortages across construction, retail, hospitality and transport. The lorry driver shortage has also pushed production delays across other sectors, as supermarkets [...]
US citizen arrest stokes Biden’s fresh Hong Kong business caution July 16, 2021 A US citizen has been arrested in Hong Kong, according to local reports, just hours after the US issued a fresh advisory warning for US businesses in the region. The US citizen, whose identity has not yet been confirmed by Southern China media, has been detained under Beijing’s controversial national security law. The national security [...]
Day three: Belarusian police raid homes of journalists and rights activists July 16, 2021 Police in Belarus have raided the offices and homes of journalists and human rights activists for a third consecutive day today. The so-far three-day search came as the UK’s ambassador to the United Nations and World Health Organisation in Geneva, Simon Manley, said the UK was still “deeply concerned by the human rights situation in [...]
Small shops face £1.7bn debt, says report by ex-boss of Iceland July 16, 2021 Small shops are struggling under £1.7bn debt, the former retail chief of Iceland, has warned. Independent businesses’ borrowing increased fourfold during the pandemic, according to the report. While the money borrowed has allowed small shops to survive, the task of paying back the loans still looms over them, said Bill Grimsey, the author of the [...]
Government unveils new ‘hospitality strategy’ to boost sector post-Covid July 16, 2021 The UK’s hospitality businesses are set to receive increased support through the government’s vocational training programmes in a bid to boost the sector post-Covid. The new “hospitality strategy” will also see the government work with the British Business Bank and other lenders to “support access to finance for hospitality firms so they can invest in [...]