Firms send staff home as coronavirus arrives in Canary Wharf March 6, 2020 Contagion fears gripped Canary Wharf last night after a host of multinational firms pressed the button on coronavirus contingency plans in what could be just a taste of things to come. On a rollercoaster day in one of the globe’s most important financial hubs HSBC took the decision to evacuate more than a hundred staff [...]
Economy will stall without London investment, says Centre for Cities March 6, 2020 A failure to invest in London’s transport infrastructure will constrain the UK’s economy going forward, according to a new report. The Centre for Cities transport report found London was “outgrowing its transport capacity” and that a lack of transport investment would result in a “hard [economic] landing”. The think tank calls for £31bn investment in [...]
HS2 could have planning problems without Crossrail 2, says HS2 boss March 5, 2020 HS2 could run into planning problems if Crossrail 2 does not get the go-ahead, according to HS2’s chief executive. Speaking to the Public Affairs Committee yesterday, Mark Thurston said HS2 chiefs had expected Crossrail 2 to be approved when drawing up plans for the high speed train line. He added that the new Crossrail 2 [...]
Number of UK coronavirus cases hits 115, with 25 in London March 5, 2020 UK coronavirus cases rose again today from 85 to 115, with London counting 25 Covid-19 infections. Included in today’s figures were 25 new cases in England, and 30 new cases since yesterday’s total. “All are being investigated and contact tracing has begun,” the Department of Health tweeted. A total of 18,083 people in the UK [...]
Aung San Suu Kyi stripped of City of London award March 5, 2020 De-facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been stripped of a City of London Corporation award for failing to condemn the ethnic cleansing of her country’s Rohingya Muslim population. The local authority stripped her of its Honorary Freedom award today in a Court of Common Council hearing, for her “close association” with the Myanmar [...]
Tube delays caused by faulty trains rise by a third March 5, 2020 The number of Tube delays caused by faulty trains has risen by almost a third in just two years, according to new figures. Between 2016-17 and 2018-19, the number of delays on the London Underground due to mechanical issues with the trains shot up from 3,806 to 5,040 – a 32 per cent increase. More [...]
City of London braces for coronavirus: Banks, insurers and audit firms activate contingency plans March 5, 2020 With health secretary Matt Hancock warning that the UK should prepare for “widespread transmission” of coronavirus, City of London firms have braced for impact. Banks, insurers, law firms and accountancy giants have dusted off contingency plans, instituted travel bans and cancelled events to try and mitigate the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. HSBC and Deloitte [...]
Coronavirus: Two more Scotland cases confirmed as UK total hits 90 March 5, 2020 Two more cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Scotland, bringing the UK total to 90. Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman announced the news this morning, telling BBC SCotland that cases in in the Grampian area and Ayrshire were confirmed last night. One of the patients had recently travelled to Covid-19 hotspot Italy, while the [...]
Covid-19: Northern Ireland records two new cases as UK total hits 87 March 4, 2020 Two more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Northern Ireland, which brings the total number of UK cases to 87. The Public Health Agency said that one test result is confirmed positive and two further results are “presumptive positive” It said it is “continuing to work with partners across the UK including Public Health [...]
Deloitte London employee tests positive for coronavirus March 4, 2020 Deloitte London employee tests positive for coronavirus