Priti Patel urges public to change Christmas plans December 17, 2020 The home secretary has urged the British public to change their Christmas plans in a bid to limit “people-to-people contact that leads to the spread of this virus”. “I would urge people to change their plans. I won’t be seeing my parents this Christmas. They live in a different part of the country and I [...]
Sunak: Covid schemes could stave off damage from Brexit turbulence December 17, 2020 The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that Coronavirus support schemes could provide insurance against the economic impact of Brexit. “For businesses that need liquidity to get through a temporary time, we’ve got very generous… loan programmes for anyone who is having trouble with costs and employment,” he told The Spectator in a wide-ranging interview. It [...]
UK and US enter talks over mini-deal on tariffs December 17, 2020 The UK has entered talks with outgoing US President Donald Trump’s administration over a potential mini-deal to reduce trade tariffs. US trade chief Robert Lighthizer said he was hopeful for a deal that could see punitive tariffs on Scottish whisky lowered, according to the BBC. He also suggested the UK would need to go further [...]
Shock as government policy works! Why we need to keep the stamp duty holiday December 17, 2020 The stamp duty holiday is working — actually really, really well. So, of course, the government plans to reverse it shortly. Governments tax things either to raise money to spend, or to discourage you from doing them. Income tax and national insurance raise more than 40 per cent of all the annual £825bn tax revenue. [...]
DEBATE: Should people be able to pay to get the Covid-19 vaccine privately? December 17, 2020 As the NHS rollout continues, should people be able to pay to get the Covid-19 vaccine privately? Kristian Niemietz, head of political economy at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says YES. The Covid vaccine is not a consumer good like any other, and it should not be allocated like one. It should, in the main, [...]
What was the point of ‘recapturing sovereignty’ only for the government to act like autocrats? December 17, 2020 There was much hand wringing in March as MPs lined up to pronounce that they were being compelled to support actions that “no government would want to take”, and that there seemed “no other option” but to rush out severe restrictions in the face of the pandemic. They may have been right. But the thing [...]
UK agrees post-Brexit customs agreement with US December 16, 2020 The UK has signed a customs agreement with the US, ensuring trade between the countries is not disrupted after the Brexit transition ends at the end of the month. The bilateral Customs Assistance Agreement will allow customs authorities to continue to cooperate, including sharing data, to tackle customs fraud. The agreement was signed by the [...]
Public must self-isolate for five days before Christmas travel, says PM December 16, 2020 Boris Johnson has urged the public to self-isolate for five days before visiting friends and family over Christmas, as the Prime Minister refused to U-turn on plans to relax coronavirus restrictions. “A smaller Christmas is going to be a safer Christmas, and a shorter Christmas is a safer Christmas,” Johnson told a Downing Street press [...]
Govt rejects £33m proposal for more passport booths at Dover leaving longer queues more likely December 16, 2020 The UK cabinet office has rejected a £33m proposal to double the capacity for French government passport checks at Dover, dooming UK passengers to long delays at the border post-Brexit. The port of Dover, which handles 2.2 million passenger vehicles each year, requested the funding in October to help it to pay for additional Brexit-related [...]
The UK’s four nations split on Christmas Covid rules December 16, 2020 The UK’s four nations will split on plans to relax coronavirus restrictions over Christmas, as the Prime Minister faces accusations of confusing the public over the government’s messaging. Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford said the country will toughen up current guidelines allowing three households to mix over Christmas, announcing that Wales will limit gatherings to [...]