Government mulls plans to introduce Tier 4 when lockdown lifts November 11, 2020 Ministers are mulling plans to add Tier 4 to regionalised coronavirus rules when England exits the nationwide lockdown on 2 December. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted England will return to a local lockdown approach when current measures automatically expire in three weeks. However, reports that a fourth tier could be rolled out in virus [...]
The All American Greats – Californian wines to toast the fall of Trump November 11, 2020 History was made in Paris in 1976 when a now-infamous blind tasting pitched California’s top Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays against the First Growths of Bordeaux and the finest white Burgundies. In each case the Californian wines came out on top, awarding them instant cult status and global recognition. The US is now the fourth largest [...]
Coronavirus: Phase one vaccine rollout will protect ‘99 per cent’ of UK’s at-risk population November 11, 2020 The UK’s top health officials today announced the priority list for vaccination against coronavirus, after health secretary Matt Hancock yesterday said the NHS is preparing to roll out Pfizer’s Covid vaccine from December. Speaking at a Downing Street Covid briefing this morning led by deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam, the Joint Committee on Vaccination [...]
How does a vaccine affect investment sentiment in the Square Mile? November 11, 2020 Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German manufacturer BioNTech said on Monday they had reached a breakthrough in the development of their Coronavirus vaccine. Analysis so far suggests that the vaccine is more than 90 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19. Although studies are ongoing, the vaccine has already been tested on 43,500 people in six countries, with no major safety concerns being raised so far. Despite Boris [...]
Fifty rebel Tory MPs form anti-lockdown Covid Recovery Group November 11, 2020 Dozens of rebel Conservative MPs have formed a new backbench group to protest the imposition of new lockdown restrictions across the country. Former chief whip Mark Harper and ex-Brexit minister Steve Baker will head up the new Covid Recovery Group (CRG) as chairman and deputy chairman. Harper has also recruited prominent senior backbenchers including Sir [...]
Rebel Tory MPs launch anti-lockdown campaign group November 11, 2020 Dozens of rebel Conservative MPs have launched a new group aimed at blocking the rollout of another national lockdown. Former chief whip Mark Harper and Brexiter Steve Baker will lead the new Covid Recovery Group, while Sir Graham Brady, chair of the backbench 1922 committee, is also a member. The group will argue for a [...]
Pandemic leads UK consumers to cut carbon emissions in 2020 November 11, 2020 Carbon emissions from six key consumer spending categories were 12% lower at the end of October than they were the year before, according to analysis from Lloyds Banking Group and the Carbon Trust. Despite the overall fall the analysis found emissions rose 26% between the second and third quarter of the year as spending increased [...]
Andy Haldane: Gap between poor and rich to be ‘stretched’ in wake of pandemic November 10, 2020 The Covid-19 crisis will likely “stretch” the income gap between the rich and poor, according to Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane. Speaking in a Channel 4 interview, Haldane, who is a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee and chair of the government’s Industrial Strategy Council, said the pandemic would likely lead to [...]
Editorial: A week that offers good news for the capital November 10, 2020 It’s hardly a 200 watt halogen bulb, but word of a potential vaccine does at least provide a flicker of light at the end of this interminable 2020 tunnel. After a year of unrelentingly negative headlines, it counted as unalloyed good news. Not just for our fight against the virus, but for the capital too. [...]
British chemicals firm strikes $100m deal with Pfizer to produce Covid vaccine November 10, 2020 A British chemicals firm has inked an agreement with Pfizer to supply additives for the company’s breakthrough coronavirus vaccine, in a deal that could be worth as much as $100m (£75.5m). Yorkshire-based Croda International today announced it has reached a five-year agreement with the US pharmaceuticals giant to produce four components in the production of [...]