‘I’ve never been in a faction’: Anneliese Dodds on her plan to unite Labour under a new economic platform May 28, 2020 Labour’s new shadow chancellor had been an MP for just two-and-a-half years, before being handed the second most important job in Her Majesty’s Opposition. Many would assume that an MP with that rapid a rise up the greasy pole of politics would have to be the consummate Westminster schemer – a modern day Harold Wilson [...]
More than 70 travel bosses sign letter calling for end to quarantine May 28, 2020 More than 70 bosses of travel companies have signed a letter calling on the government to scrap a planned 14-day quarantine for arrivals from overseas. From 8 June travellers arriving from abroad will be asked to quarantine for 14 days or risk paying a £1,000 fine to help stop the spread of coronavirus.. Holiday and [...]
Trump to sign executive order about social media amid Twitter spat May 28, 2020 US President Donald Trump will today sign an executive order on social media firms, the White House has said. The move comes after the president became embroiled in a dispute with Twitter, which marked one of his tweets with a fact check warning over its inaccurate claims. Trump yesterday threatened to shut down social media [...]
Two-fifths of UK SMEs at risk of permanent closure, survey finds May 28, 2020 The coronavirus crisis will cost the UK’s small and medium sized businesses an average of around £12,000, according to a survey which shows that two fifths of such firms are at risk of closing permanently. A poll of 3,700 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by business insurer Simply Business showed that firms reckon the cost [...]
Cineworld shares soar as it secures $110m cash boost for July reopening May 28, 2020 Shares in Cineworld jumped almost 25 per cent this morning after the chain said it had secured $110m (£90m) from lenders and hoped to reopen cinemas by July. The UK cinema operator said it had secured the cash through an increase in its revolving credit facility. It has also been granted approval to apply for [...]
UK hiring plummets as Covid-19 crisis hits low-income workers May 28, 2020 UK job vacancies crashed almost 60 per cent this month as the coronavirus pandemic sparked the country’s fastest rise in unemployment since 1947, new data has revealed. Live job vacancies have dropped from 820,000 at the beginning of April to just 373,000 in May as fears of a protracted economic downturn grow. The figures, released [...]
Boohoo buys remaining stake in Pretty Little Thing May 28, 2020 Fast fashion retailer Boohoo has today bought the remaining 34 per cent stake in Pretty Little Thing after facing conflict of interest criticisms from a short-seller. The deal is for an initial consideration of £269.8m, with a further £54m of consideration “contingent on Boohoo’s share price averaging 491p per share over a six month period [...]
Employers asked to pay staff wages while they self-isolate under test-and-trace plan May 28, 2020 Employers should pay the wages of any staff told to self-isolate under England’s new coronavirus test-and-trace system, Health secretary Matt Hancock said today. The programme is a key plank in the government’s strategy to lift lockdown and restart the economy. From today, contacts of people who test positive for coronavirus will be asked to quarantine [...]
Daily Mail owner revenue sinks as Covid-19 hits advertising May 28, 2020 The owner of the Daily Mail today said its media revenue dropped by a third in April as it posted a sharp fall in profit for the first six months of the year. The figures Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) posted pre-tax profit of £56m in the six months to the end of March, [...]
Coronavirus: UK’s test and trace programme launches today May 28, 2020 The UK’s test-and-trace programme, which is intended to drive down the number of coronavirus cases, launches today. Britain abandoned tracing coronavirus cases in March as the virus took hold in the UK and community transmission became widespread. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to deliver a “world class” system of testing, tracking cases and tracing [...]