NHS Test and Trace: Serco wins new year-long contract June 28, 2021 Outsourcing giant Serco today announced it has been awarded a new contract with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to continue providing Covid test and trace services. It comes just days after a National Audit Office (NAO) review into the largely privatised service found that 600m tests were unaccounted for and the £22bn [...]
PM set to rule out early easing of lockdown as Javid wants out ‘as soon as possible’ June 28, 2021 Boris Johnson is expected to tell MPs today that there will be no early easing of coronavirus restrictions, as ministers discuss the last stage of the roadmap and Sajid Javid makes his first appearance in the commons. MPs are to hear the decision in a statement, which may be delivered by the new health secretary, [...]
Covid update: ‘Stronger border’ could have curbed Delta variant in UK June 27, 2021 A leading government coronavirus adviser said that the Delta Covid variant could have been stopped in its tracks if the UK had enforced stricter border measures. The chair of the UK’s advisory group for new and emerging respiratory virus threats (Netvag) said that “stronger border measures may have delayed […] even have prevented” the Delta [...]
Government to launch probe into Matt Hancock CCTV footage leak June 27, 2021 The government’s health department has launched an internal inquiry into how the CCTV footage that led to Hancock’s resignation was leaked. A government minister has confirmed that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is investigating how images and a video of the former health secretary kissing an adviser in his private office were [...]
Matt Hancock habitually used private email account for government business June 27, 2021 The now ex-health secretary’s decision to use a private account for government business concealed information from government officials and potentially the public. Former health secretary Matt Hancock is under investigation for using a personal email account rather than an official account to conduct government affairs during the pandemic, in a breach of ministerial guidelines, according [...]
Labour says Boris Johnson has ‘very dangerous blind spot’ over integrity June 27, 2021 Labour has repeated its point that the PM should have sacked Hancock immediately after video footage emerged of him kissing an aide in his ministerial office in a breach of coronavirus restrictions. The prime minister has a “very dangerous blind spot” over issues of integrity and conduct in government ministers’ public life, shadow housing secretary [...]
Weekend Read: Fostering a company culture in a hybrid world June 26, 2021 After three lockdowns, more than a year of home working and an unprecedented vaccine rollout, firms of all sizes are slowly, cautiously, reopening and welcoming staff back to the office. But this mass return to the traditional workplace will be tough for managers and leaders on a number of levels. Motivation levels may be low, [...]
Covid: London launches ‘grab a jab’ campaign for over-18s June 26, 2021 Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium is among a string of locations across London that has opened for walk-in vaccinations as part of a major ‘grab a jab’ campaign. More than 60 pop-up centres, including many walk-in locations, are opening this weekend for all over-18s. Sites range from community hubs such as the Al Birr Mosque in Leyton [...]
UK population grows at slowest rate in two decades due to Covid-19 June 25, 2021 The UK population reached 67.1m in the twelve months to June 2020, the lowest annual increase since 2001. New estimates from the Office for National Statistics suggested that the population grew by 284,000 people in the twelve months to June 2020 – at a rate of 0.4 per cent. Although the UK population continued to [...]
Nissan puts hundreds of factory staff back on furlough after surge in Covid-19 cases June 25, 2021 Nissan furloughs hundreds of factory staff after surge in Covid cases