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 [...]
World leaders react to Joe Biden entering the White House January 21, 2021 The US is waking up to a new leader, and government vision, as Joe Biden became the country’s 46th president yesterday. The spotlight is now on the future of the country and its international relations rather than the twists and turns that made this presidential race so historic. Here is how world leaders reacted to [...]
No decline in Covid-19 infections in first days of lockdown January 21, 2021 Infection levels did not slow down, and may have risen instead, during the initial 10 days of the latest national lockdown, scientists tracking the spread of the virus have found. The research, carried out between 6 and 15 January, found one in 63 people were infected across England, and the infection was most prevalent in [...]
China sanctions Trump officials including Mike Pompeo January 20, 2021 China has slapped sanctions on 28 top US figures including former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who it claimed violated Chinese sovereignty. Pompeo joined a list of US political heavyweights banned from doing business with China, including John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security advisor, Peter Navarro, former director of trade, and Steve Bannon, former [...]