Sadiq Khan urges PM to make face masks compulsory in shops as well as public transport June 18, 2020 Sadiq Khan has urged the government to force people to wear face masks in shops and other confined public spaces. The mayor of London wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning, calling for an extension to the rule which requires people to wear face masks on public transport. He said: “With lockdown easing, it’s [...]
Exclusive: Westminster denies firms business rates relief for empty offices during lockdown June 17, 2020 Central London companies whose staff abandoned offices to work remotely during the coronavirus lockdown have been refused business rates relief, City A.M. can reveal. Westminster City Council has refused to grant the relief to office-based businesses such as accountants, law firms, and consultancies despite their workspaces remaining empty over the period. The move has sparked [...]
There can be no route back to normality for ableist commuter culture June 17, 2020 “Do not expect to return to the transport network you were used to.” We’re all used to hearing that there will be no return to “normal” life any time soon. So it’s no surprise that Transport for London (TfL) has broadcast the same message about our commutes as some tentatively plan to return to the [...]
Selfridges, Kurt Geiger, Intu hail shopper appetite as stores reopen June 16, 2020 High-end retailers have struck a positive note after the first day of their stores being reopen since the coronavirus lockdown started in March. Selfridges, the London department store, said that footfall had been greater than expected, while other retailers and venues gave similar indications. Selfridges said: “We have been pleasantly surprised by the response as [...]
England and Wales coronavirus death toll nears 50,000 June 16, 2020 Coronavirus deaths in England and Wales have hit 47,387 since the start of the year until 5 June, official data confirmed today. That contrasts with official government data yesterday that puts the overall UK death toll from coronavirus at 41,736. While England’s coronavirus death toll stood at 45,432 according to the Office for National Statistics [...]
The stage is set for the City to lead the post-Covid fintech revolution June 15, 2020 The 2008 global financial crisis marked a watershed moment for the financial services sector. For the global economy to recover, it needed to innovate. Investment in technology and its application across the entire financial system — what we now refer to as “fintech” — has since transformed the industry as we know it. Fintech will [...]
Shorter hours and portable loos: How London’s West End is reopening shops after lockdown June 15, 2020 The West End was one of the first areas of London to suffer the economic damage wrought by coronavirus, even before lockdown. By mid-February, people were already avoiding the usually bustling restaurants of Chinatown, following false reports that the disease could be caught more easily there. Now, after months of lockdown-induced hibernation, businesses across the [...]
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 [...]