More than 50 Tory MPs lash out at local lockdown restrictions October 27, 2020 More than 50 Tory MPs have lashed out at the Prime Minister, warning that Northern constituencies risk being left behind unless there is a clear strategy for leaving local lockdown restrictions. MPs from parts of England currently under Tier 3 restrictions have written to Boris Johnson to warn him that his “leveling up” agenda risks [...]
Coronavirus: Antibody levels drop by a quarter as second wave hits October 27, 2020 The proportion of people in England with Covid-19 antibodies has dropped by more than a quarter since the first wave of the pandemic, official figures have revealed. The findings of a major study into Covid-19 antibodies, published today, showed the number of people who tested positive for antibodies has fallen from six per cent to [...]
Wall Street leads global stocks slump as Covid-19 infections rise October 26, 2020 Wall Street suffered its worst daily decline in weeks today as global stock markets posted losses amid a rise in new Covid-19 infections. There was a sea of red across the major US indices as markets closed this evening, with the S&P 500 posting its sharpest daily fall in four weeks. The downbeat sentiment across [...]
Sunak spars with education secretary in free school meals row October 26, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak locked heads with the education secretary today as both ministers attempted to shirk the blame for the government’s decision not to extend free school meals throughout the October half-term. Sunak rebutted claims made in the Sun on Sunday yesterday that the Treasury had “parked the bus” on providing free school meal vouchers [...]
Nottingham to move into Tier 3 from Thursday night October 26, 2020 Nottingham and parts of the surrounding county are set to move into the top level of coronavirus measures this week, in a move that will see almost 800,000 people placed under Tier 3 restrictions, the government confirmed today. People living in the city, along with residents of Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxstowe will face the toughest [...]
Commercial rent collections buoyed by September’s short-lived return to offices October 26, 2020 Commercial rent collections started to recover in the third quarter due to the reopening of non-essential retail, offices and schools after lockdown. Real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield said today that it had collected 77 per cent of rents owed to its clients on the 21st day after the third quarter due date. The [...]
Astrazeneca shares up on Covid-19 vaccine hospital rollout reports October 26, 2020 Astrazeneca [LON:AZN] shares rose nearly 2.5 per cent today after it was reported that UK hospitals were preparing for the rollout of the first doses of its coronavirus vaccine. Staff at a major London hospital trust have been told to be ready to receive the first batches of the vaccine, which is being developed in [...]
Deserted city centres slowing Britain’s job recovery, research finds October 26, 2020 Deserted high streets and city centres are hurting Britain’s jobs recovery, with urban areas including central London suffering the steepest declines in vacancies. The latest research showed that seven months on from the introduction of the nationwide lockdown, work opportunities have failed to return to pre-pandemic levels across major UK towns and cities. London has [...]
Boris Johnson promises ‘no children will go hungry’ as free school meals row escalates October 26, 2020 Boris Johnson has promised “no children” in England “ go hungry this winter”, as the Prime Minister faces mounting pressure to U-turn on a decision not to extend free school meals over the October half-term. “We certainly recognise that there is an issue. We have been dealing with it continuously throughout the period of the [...]
Government risks ‘wasting taxpayer money’ through emergency loan schemes October 26, 2020 The chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee has criticised the government over its management of emergency loans for businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Darren Jones MP warned that unless ministers “learn lessons” from initial rounds of support, they risk “wasting more taxpayer money”. In particular, he raised concerns over the fact [...]