UK records 1,089 new positive coronavirus cases August 18, 2020 The UK recorded 1,089 new positive cases of coronavirus today, up from 713 yesterday, government figures showed. A further 12 people died after testing positive for covid-19 within 28 days. The UK has recorded more than 1,000 daily cases on eight out of the last 10 days. Earlier health minister Matt Hancock welcomed figures from [...]
Face masks to be mandatory in French workplaces August 18, 2020 It will be compulsory to wear face masks in most French workplaces from 1 September, a government official has confirmed. The new rules will likely be implemented in shared indoor workspaces, such as offices and factories, as the country’s coronavirus rate continues to increase. The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals in France remains low, [...]
Eat Out to Help Out scheme serves up 35m meals in first two weeks August 18, 2020 More than 35m meals have already been claimed on the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, according to the Treasury. Restaurants, pubs and cafes have so far submitted more than 35m claims to the government for meals that have been discounted under the programme. The scheme gives diners 50 per cent off up to £10 [...]
Matt Hancock officially scraps Public Health England August 18, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock has officially axed Public Health England (PHE) and announced the formation of the National Institute for Health Protection. The new institute will be formed through a merger for NHS Test and Trace, the Joint Biosecurity Centre and parts of PHE, and will have a mission of “protecting people form external threats [...]
Brexit: City faces wait beyond 2020 for EU financial market access August 18, 2020 The City of London may not know whether it will gain post-Brexit access to EU markets until next year, according to Brussels’ financial services chief. European Commission executive vice president Valdis Dombrovskis warned yesterday that regulatory equivalence – which would give City firms access to the EU – could still take months to be granted. [...]
A-levels debacle: Williamson expects to stay in post ‘over the coming year’ August 18, 2020 Education secretary Gavin Williamson has sought to defend the government’s U-turn on A-level and GCSE grading, suggesting the blame lies with the body that decided on the original algorithm. Williamson also said he expected to remain in post “over the coming year”, amid calls for him to step down as a result of the fiasco. [...]
History tells us now is a good time to go to university August 18, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact in a very short amount of time on people’s lives — worry and uncertainty continues as cases rise and fall at differing levels across the globe. And while the UK grapples with the consequences of an economic recession, people who received their A-level results last week are [...]
Misnomers, uncertainty, and a need for compassion – how to get the UK’s future immigration system on the right path August 18, 2020 Priti Patel’s latest statement on immigration post Brexit quietly came and went last month. While it did not give anything new away, it was what was missing that was most interesting. The paper set out how the immigration system will work after Brexit, and it should do a decent job for larger businesses. The skilled [...]
Downing Street confident of striking UK-EU trade deal next month August 17, 2020 The UK is still on course to deliver an EU trade deal next month, according to Downing Street. Negotiations are set to enter their seventh round on Tuesday when UK negotiators travel to Brussels. The Prime Minister’s spokesman has said they would “continue to plug the gaps”. A number of issues remain unresolved, including those [...]
Tory backbencher says Gavin Williamson could be in line for autumn axeing August 17, 2020 Tory backbencher and former minister George Freeman has said the government’s A-levels U-turn has been a “total shambles” and that Gavin Williamson may be sacked in an autumn reshuffle. Williamson was forced today to scrap his emergency A-level grading system, after an uproar from parents, students and teachers about it being unfair. The algorithm used [...]