Angela Merkel seeks to impose financial transactions tax on EU countries April 26, 2020 Germany will seek to impose a financial transactions tax, minimum tax rates and an EU-wide healthcare system on member nations during its upcoming six-month presidency of the bloc. The revolving presidency of the Council of the European Union allows individual countries to set the EU’s agenda during the six months of their stint. German chancellor [...]
Brazil’s Embraer blasts Boeing after $4.2bn deal scrapped April 26, 2020 Brazilian aircraft company Embraer today attacked Boeing after the US company yesterday pulled the plug on a $4.2bn (£3.4bn) deal to buy its commercial jets division. In a statement, Embraer said: “Embraer believes strongly that Boeing has wrongfully terminated the MTA [master transaction agreement], that it has manufactured false claims as a pretext to seek [...]
Coronavirus: UK has lowest single day death toll since March April 26, 2020 The UK has recorded another 413 deaths from coronavirus today – the lowest single day figure this month. The latest figure brings the country’s Covid-19 death toll, from hospital patients, to 20,732. National medical director of NHS England Stephen Powis said at today’s press briefing that the country was beginning to see drops in the [...]
Tata Steel seeks £500m in government cash for Port Talbot plant April 26, 2020 Tata Steel needs £500m from the government to survive the coronavirus economic slowdown, MP for Aberavon Stephen Kinnock said. Kinnock asked first secretary Dominic Raab in parliament last week to lift the amount lent to businesses under the coronavirus large business interruption loan scheme (CLBILS) from £50m to £500m to help Tata Steel with lost [...]
BoE boss Andrew Bailey: Bank keeping ‘eyes open’ ahead of next meeting April 26, 2020 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has said Threadneedle Street is keeping its “eyes open” for risks to the economy or financial system ahead of its next scheduled interest rate decision on 7 May. Bailey also highlighted the huge amount of uncertainty the UK economy still faces. “No one can be sure exactly how the [...]
UK orders 50m coronavirus immunity tests April 26, 2020 The UK has reportedly ordered up to 50m new coronavirus immunity tests which would help quickly assess if people could go back to work. The Mail on Sunday reported that a team of British scientists were developing a test which could mean that by June people could reliably find out if they have developed immunity [...]
City grandees call for coronavirus lockdown to be eased April 26, 2020 A group of City of London grandees have urged the government to ease the coronavirus lockdown amidst fears a prolonged shutdown would “do more harm to people’s health by putting them out of work”. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will return to work tomorrow as Downing Street looks to formulate the next phase of its coronavirus [...]
Virgin Atlantic says it is still in talks with UK over bailout April 26, 2020 Virgin Atlantic today said it was still in talks with the UK government about a state bailout to deal with the travel shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The airline said talks were ongoing after the Sunday Telegraph reported that discussions had been “effectively shelved” and Virgin’s owner Richard Branson was now seeking a buyer [...]
Coronavirus: UK must prepare for ‘new normal’, says Dominic Raab April 26, 2020 Dominic Raab has warned that Britons will need to adapt to a “new normal” as Boris Johnson prepares to go back to work tomorrow for the first time since being hospitalised. Raab said today that the UK “won’t be going back” to how it was before Covid-19, echoing statements from chief medical officer Chris Whitty [...]
Tory MPs to scrutinise UK’s relationship with China amid anger over Covid-19 response April 25, 2020 Top Tory MPs have today launched a new research group aimed at reassessing the UK’s relationship with China amid concerns over the country’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. The China Research Group will gather and share information on Chinese foreign and industrial policy, as well as its ownership and development of new technologies. MPs said [...]