Breaking: Matt Hancock extends Tier 3 to most of southeast England December 17, 2020 The health secretary has extended Tier 3 to almost all of the southeast of England following a huge surge in cases, thought to be the result of a new coronavirus mutation. Speaking in the Commons, Matt Hancock said: “In the last week hospital admissions are up by nearly half. It is therefore necessary to apply [...]
Rishi Sunak ‘to extend emergency Covid business loan schemes’ December 17, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to extend the UK’s £68bn coronavirus emergency loan schemes to help support businesses hit with the double whammy of Covid and Brexit, according to reports. Officials are drawing up plans to extend the three main loan guarantee schemes, including the government’s £43.5bn coronavirus bounce back loans programme, the Financial Times [...]
Breaking: Macron tests positive for coronavirus December 17, 2020 French President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for coronavirus, throwing a potential spanner in hopes of clinching a last-minute Brexit deal. The Elysee palace this morning announced Macron had tested positive after showing early symptoms. The French premier will now self-isolate for seven days, though he will continue to carry out his duties remotely. Spanish [...]
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 [...]