Sadiq Khan tasks advisers to create emerging tech plan for London July 30, 2020 Sadiq Khan has tasked his advisers with identifying which emerging technology trends would most benefit London and its residents, as he seeks upgrade the capital’s infrastructure and policies. The mayor of London has appointed his chief digital officer Theo Blackwell and the Smart London Board to create an Emerging Technology Charter, which will set out [...]
Treasury tells banks to boost coronavirus lending after rule change July 30, 2020 The Treasury has told banks they should be lending more to struggling companies through the main coronavirus loan scheme after changes to EU state aid rules come into effect today. European Union rules had meant some viable British firms with significant debts or that were growing and spending fast were classed as “undertakings in difficulty”. [...]
Big Tech vs Congress live: Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon face Washington grilling July 29, 2020 Welcome to City A.M.’s Big Tech vs Congress live blog. Please refresh this page for live updates. Big Tech faces its day of reckoning today as the world’s four biggest tech moguls appear before the US Congress in Washington to face a grilling over their companies’ size and power. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, [...]
Richard Moore named as new MI6 spy chief July 29, 2020 Former diplomat and ambassador Richard Moore has been hired as the next boss of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), also known as MI6. Moore has worked in the past as the UK’s ambassador to Turkey, the Deputy National Security Adviser in the Cabinet Office and is currently the Foreign Office’s political director. He also [...]
Tories turn to Linkedin to recruit £100k host of White House-style briefings July 29, 2020 Boris Johnson has launched a search for a new £100,000-a-year spokesperson to front Downing Street’s press briefings, as the Prime Minister looks to step back from the limelight. The Conservatives posted the vacancy on their Linkedin page this morning, describing it as a “unique opportunity” to work at the heart of the political circuit. The [...]
Belgium and Croatia may be next on UK’s quarantine list July 29, 2020 People travelling to the UK from Belgium, Luxembourg and Croatia may face 14-day quarantines as coronavirus infection rates rise across the continent. Boris Johnson said yesterday that he feared mainland Europe was beginning to experience the first stages of a second Covid-19 wave. Infection rates have been recorded as rising in 11 European countries over [...]
UK just weeks away from signing Japan free trade deal July 29, 2020 The UK is on the verge of signing a free trade deal with Japan, with the agreement set to be closed within a matter of weeks. Negotiations, which began just six weeks ago, have reportedly reached a breakthrough point with the dialogue at an “advanced stage”, according to a government source. The Sun reports that [...]
Heathrow airport accuses government of playing ‘quarantine roulette’ July 29, 2020 Heathrow airport has accused the government of “playing a game of quarantine roulette” without an operational testing system, as the transport hub reported a record loss of more than £1bn for the first half of the year during the pandemic. The airport saw a 96 per cent slump in passenger numbers for the three months [...]
Lose five pounds for the government? It’s thanks to the government I gained it in the first place July 29, 2020 I cannot be the only person who has gained five pounds during lockdown. I am still far from overweight (the NHS BMI calculator helpfully tells me that I am in the optimum range for my age and height), but the government’s sudden fixation on slimming down the nation has not exactly been great for my [...]
Letter: Is the government right to focus on obesity as its top public health issue? July 29, 2020 Re: Is the government right to focus on obesity as its top public health issue? People with obesity are at a much greater risk of serious Covid-19-related complications and death. They are also more likely to require hospitalisation, ICU admission, and mechanical ventilation. Hence, addressing obesity makes sense not only as a way to prevent [...]