We now have a unique opportunity to end rough sleeping in London for good June 13, 2020 Where do we go from here? It’s a question many of us are asking ourselves, as lockdown measures are gradually eased and we start to move from dealing with the day-to-day impact of the pandemic to looking towards the longer-term future. For the nearly 1,400 rough sleepers who have been accommodated in London hotels, paid [...]
‘Shameful’: Boris Johnson condemns threats to Churchill statue June 12, 2020 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday it was “absurd and shameful” that a statue of Winston Churchill was at risk of attack by protesters. In his strongest statement yet on a growing trend to challenge the legacies of past leaders, the PM pushed back against a wave of protests against statues of historic [...]
Boris Johnson urges public to avoid ‘hijacked’ London protests and defends Churchill statue June 12, 2020 Boris Johnson has urged the public to stay away from Black Lives Matter protests planned in London this weekend amid fears of violence after being “hijacked by extremists”. Black Lives Matter organisers have cancelled London protests that were set to start at 1pm in Hyde Park tomorrow after right-wing groups planned to join. Today’s protest [...]
No more ‘Cinderella sector’ — we need to invest in further education for Londoners June 12, 2020 Like the rest of the UK, London’s economy has taken a body blow from Covid-19, with unemployment rising steeply and a widespread take up of the Job Retention Scheme (“furlough”). Some London industries have managed to stay active and engaged during lockdown, such as finance and business services, but a vast range — from accommodation [...]
London’s businesses can lead a UK-wide economic recovery June 12, 2020 As the focus shifts from the immediate health crisis of Covid-19 to slowly easing the lockdown, the capital’s business leaders are committed to playing their part. Early this week, I brought together some of London’s most prominent businesses, representing all sectors of the economy, to map out solutions that support a business-led recovery. From Heathrow, [...]
New poll finds Brits turn away from city life as attraction wanes June 12, 2020 There could be a dramatic shift in working life as cities become less attractive to Britons, a new poll has found. In an online survey by Ipsos Mori, 44 per cent of Britons say they expect cities to become less attractive places to live in the next few years. Just 19 per cent say their [...]
Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals to remove controversial statues June 11, 2020 The statues outside Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London will be removed, it was decided this evening. The statues, which feature Sir Robert Clayton and Sir Thomas Guy, are part of the arts and heritage collection owned by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity. Clayton, whose statue is outside St Thomas’ Hospital, was a powerful member [...]
Coronavirus deaths in UK rise by 151 to 41,279 June 11, 2020 The UK experienced another 151 coronavirus deaths yesterday, official data confirmed today. The Department of Health and Social Care’s official data showed 151 more people died to bring the UK’s total number of official coronavirus deaths to 41,279. That is substantially lower than a Reuters tally placing the overall UK toll closer to 52,000, including [...]
Test and trace system tells 26,985 to self-isolate in first week June 11, 2020 England’s new track and tracing system was able to contact two-thirds of the people who tested positive for coronavirus and were referred to it in its first week, and then succeeded in contacting 85 per cent of their contacts to ask them to self-isolate. Of the 8,117 who were transferred to the system, 2,710 were [...]
Poole to take down statue of Scouts founder Baden-Powell June 11, 2020 A statue of the worldwide founder of the Scouts is to be removed in Poole in the wake of anti-racism protests across the UK. The state of Robert Baden-Powell, who is remembered for establishing the Scouts movement in 1907, will be moved into storage today. Its presence in Poole has long been disputed by critics [...]