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 [...]
Ursula von der Leyen: ‘Narrow path to agreement’ in Brexit talks December 16, 2020 Ursula von der Leyen said there is a "path to agreement now" this morning, as hopes of striking a Brexit deal by the end of the week rise.
Tory mayoral candidate under fire for using fake City Hall logo on campaign leaflets December 16, 2020 The Conservative party’s candidate for London mayor has drawn sharp criticism for using fake City Hall coats of arms on campaign letters sent out to voters. The letters from Shaun Bailey were branded with messages saying “Do not ignore”, alongside fake City Hall insignia with a cod Latin motto underneath. They also warned Londoners their [...]
Climate progress dashboard: Will a Biden Paris U-turn inspire action? December 16, 2020 | City Talk The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) would have taken place in Glasgow, Scotland, this month if it was not for the coronavirus pandemic. Global leaders were expected to come back together with tougher and more detailed plans to underpin the Paris Agreement. While COP26 has been delayed until 2021, the last few [...]
Michael Gove to hold Covid Christmas talks with devolved nations over ‘rethink’ December 16, 2020 Talks over the plans to relax coronavirus restrictions over the Christmas period will continue today amid concerns that doing so could lead to a surge in cases of the disease. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will continue to lead negotiations with representatives from the UK’s devolved administrations, having failed to reach agreement yesterday. Under the [...]
Queen faces technical hitch during KPMG video call December 16, 2020 The Queen faced a technical hitch while on a call with KPMG yesterday, proving even the royal family are not immune from video call mishaps. Her Majesty paid a virtual visit to KPMG on Tuesday to mark the firm’s 150th anniversary, where she spoke via video call with five individuals at the Big Four firm. [...]
Boris Johnson did not want to settle Sonia Khan unfair dismissal case out of court December 15, 2020 Boris Johnson issued an order to not settle a high-profile unfair dismissal claim out of court, despite the advice of one of the country’s top civil servants. Sonia Khan, who was dismissed by Dominic Cummings last year for alleged leaking, was last month paid out in the region of £100,000 by the government in an [...]
Brexit: UK signs continuity trade deal with Mexico December 15, 2020 The UK has signed a continuity trade deal with Mexico, which will ensure trade between the two countries will not be disrupted after the Brexit transition period ends next year. The deal will see the two countries continue to trade on the same terms as under the EU-Mexico trade deal, however both sides have now [...]