Ibiza and Mallorca holidays under threat as Spain joins Portugal in demanding Brits prove vaccination status June 28, 2021 Holidaymakers saw their plans thrown into disarray today as Spain announced that British travellers to the Balearic islands would have to show either proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test. The move comes just days after Mallorca and Ibiza were placed on the government’s travel “green list”, prompting a rapid surge in bookings. But [...]
FSB calls for govt to bridge 18-day gap between Covid support and full reopening June 28, 2021 The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has made a last urgent appeal to the government to help small firms by bridging the gap between the end of Covid financial support this Thursday and the July 19 full reopening. Full furlough, business rates exemptions and deferred VAT payments will all end on Thursday July 1, eighteen [...]
HMRC launches 13,000 investigations into potential Covid support scheme fraud June 28, 2021 The UK tax authority has opened almost 13,000 probes into businesses that may have abused the government’s coronavirus business support schemes. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is investigating potential fraud and other non-compliance with the rules for the use of the government’s furlough programme, self employment income support scheme, and the “eat out to help [...]
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, [...]
UK begins Singapore digital trade talks June 28, 2021 The UK will today start trade talks for a digital trade agreement that could remove barriers to trade and enable UK exporters to expand into high-tech markets around the world. International trade secretary Liz Truss is due to begin virtual negotiations with Singapore today for a Digital Economy Agreement (DEA). The UK is the second largest [...]
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 [...]
AI startup Onfido considers listing in New York instead of London June 27, 2021 The British digital identity startup is reportedly considering a stateside IPO over a London listing, due to rapid business growth in North America. London-headquartered Onfido has begun swapping British accounting standards for American, in preparation for a “potential US IPO in the near future”, The Telegraph first reported. The AI startup, which helps firms like Microsoft, [...]
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 [...]
