Cabinet minister: Ukraine War and Covid-19 to blame for local election beating May 7, 2023 Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has blamed heavy Tory losses in the local elections on the pandemic and the Ukraine war. She also noted the Conservative Party had been in power for “a long time”. The Cabinet minister conceded that voters were “frustrated and angry”, but claimed Rishi Sunak was starting to regain the public’s trust. [...]
Novacyt: UK Government’s £135m lawsuit against Covid-19 test-maker set for trial April 19, 2024 Biotech firm Novacyt will be in the English High Court in June as it is set to defend itself against the UK Government's £135m lawsuit over covid tests
A Covid-19 inquiry longer than the pandemic is almost certain to teach us little July 10, 2023 A parliamentary inquiry into the pandemic is set to look at everything from the policy of austerity to Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps, but it is possible to be too thorough and entirely miss the point, writes Chris Hirst.
FTSE 100 lifted by China Covid-19 easing rumours December 5, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 was bumped higher today as investors were buoyed by signs Beijing is reeling back its tough zero-Covid policy. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.15 per cent to 7,567.54 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, dipped 0.17 per cent to [...]
Starc rubbishes Broad claim last Ashes series was ‘void’ due to Covid-19 May 24, 2023 Australian bowler Mitchell Starc has rubbished claims from pacer Stuart Broad that England’s 4-0 defeat in the Ashes series was “void” over Covid-19. Broad, recently named in the side to take on Ireland in England’s pre-Ashes Test, last month said: “I don’t class that as a real Ashes. “The definition of Ashes cricket is elite [...]
Pfizer’s revenue drops over 50 per cent as Covid-19 vaccine sales wither August 1, 2023 US drugmaker Pfizer today reported that revenue more than halved during the second quarter of the year as global demand for its Covid-19 vaccines plummeted. It reported disappointing revenues of $12.7bn (£9.9bn) in the three months April to June – down 54 per cent, or $15bn, from the second quarter last year. Pfizer blamed the [...]
FTSE 100 weighed down by China Covid-19 jitters November 21, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 was today weighed down by the re-emergence of tough restrictions to tame Covid-19 in China over the weekend. The capital’s premier index edged 0.12 per cent lower to 7,376.85 points, while the domestically-focus mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed 0.68 per cent [...]
UK recession wobble sends FTSE profit warnings back to Covid-19 levels April 24, 2023 The UK’s flirtation with a recession over the last year or so has prompted a wave of the country’s top companies to warn shareholders to expect profits to miss forecasts, a new report out today shows. Profit warnings among UK-listed firms climbed to 75 in the first three months of this year, the highest level [...]
Pfizer and BioNTech countersue Moderna in Covid-19 patent row December 6, 2022 Pfizer and German partner BioNTech shot back at competitor Moderna last night in the latest jab in the Covid-19 vaccine patent lawsuit. The sparring over allegations from Moderna that Pfizer and BioNTech violated the rights its three patents it created prior to the pandemic has been ongoing since August. All three companies are also embroiled [...]
Clawback: How Barclays is chasing down Covid-19 business loan cash January 10, 2023 Barclays has teamed up with a specialist insolvency practitioner to recover money loaned to small businesses through the UK’s Covid support schemes. The British bank has joined forces with insolvency firm Manolete Partners to recover emergency loans paid through the UK government backed Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS), the Financial Times first reported. The UK’s [...]