London mayoral election campaigns kick off despite lockdown January 22, 2021 The London mayoral election seems to kick off in earnest today as one of the underdog candidates will tour London in a Covid-secure tech bus. Mayoral candidate Brian Rose will go up against a current Mayor Sadiq Khan and travel the city in a tech-fitted bus, which includes a live-streaming TV studio. The businessman – [...]
How schools, teachers and parents are responding to new challenges January 22, 2021 | Sponsored Though there is light at the end of the tunnel, all of us are still going through a stressful time in this second full national lockdown. In particular, it’s tough for parents and school-age children – with schools closed, millions of people across the country are having to change the way they live their lives [...]
UK appoints new ambassador to the EU January 22, 2021 The UK’s foreign office has appointed lifelong civil servant Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby as the country’s new ambassador to the EU. Croisdale-Appleby will take over the role, after former holder Sir Tim Barrow was shifted to a different civil service job. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: “As we begin a new chapter in our relationship with the [...]
Cash for Covid: No decision made on £500 payment for positive tests January 22, 2021 The government is yet to reach a decision on a reported £500 payment for anyone forced to self-isolate, according to a government minister. Environment minister George Eustice said on Friday that the government had not made a decision on plans to hand out payments to everyone who tests positive for the virus. The Department of [...]
Pandemic costs: UK borrowing set to rise by another £31bn January 22, 2021 There has been a lot of chatter in recent months over the explosion in UK public debt as a result of the pandemic and the emergency measures taken by the UK government to support the economy. “This probably goes some way to explaining the rather erratic government response to the pandemic as the innate caution [...]
Rishi Sunak set to extend furlough scheme past April January 21, 2021 Rishi Sunak is reportedly set to extend the government’s furlough scheme beyond the end of April in his 3 March Budget. The chancellor is drawing up plans to extend the £82bn scheme into the summer as the UK looks set to have strict Covid restrictions in place for several months. The scheme, which sees the [...]
MPs accuse Financial Conduct Authority of being ‘unfit for purpose’ after British Steel pension debacle January 21, 2021 MPs accuse Financial Conduct Authority of being 'unfit for purpose' after British Steel pension debacle
City of London Corporation to remove controversial slavery-era statues January 21, 2021 The City of London’s local authority has today voted to remove statues of a slave trader and a slave owner from its Guildhall HQ. The City of London Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee, its most influential body, voted to remove the statues of Sir John Cass and William Beckford in an attempt to distance itself [...]
UK fish exporters to get up to £100,000 each for Brexit disruption January 21, 2021 Britain’s fish and seafood exporters who have faced post-Brexit disruption at the border will be able to claim a maximum of £100,000 per business as a part of a new £23m fund. James Quinault – one of the top civil servants at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) – told a parliament [...]
Outgoing Trump official warns of China telecoms threat January 21, 2021 A top official in the departing Trump administration has issued a stark warning over the threat of Chinese espionage to US telecoms networks and internet freedom. Ajit Pai, who stepped down as chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week, said Beijing-backed spying was the biggest threat to national security facing regulators over the [...]