Man arrested over £495,000 ‘furlough fraud’ July 9, 2020 A man has been arrested on suspicion of defrauding the government’s job retention scheme out of £495,000. The arrest, which is thought to be the first relating to the government’s furlough scheme, happened in Solihull in the West Midlands. Computers were seized and funds were frozen in the man’s business bank account, according to HMRC. [...]
Proportion of contacts reached by track and trace falls again July 9, 2020 The proportion of contacts reached by England’s track and trace system fell again in its fifth week of operation, according to new figures. The Department of Health said 4,347 people had their cases transferred to the system between 25 June and 1 July. There were 14,892 people identified as close contacts, and 70.8 per cent [...]
EU strikes deals with Roche and Merck for potential Covid-19 drugs July 8, 2020 The European Commission has reportedly struck deals with drugmakers Roche and Merck to secure supplies of potential Covid-19 drugs. A Commission source told Reuters that the deal covers two drugs seen as potential coronavirus therapies – Roche’s arthritis drug RoActemra and Merck’s multiple sclerosis drug Rebif. The deal reportedly secures the supply for any of [...]
Small businesses welcome Rishi Sunak’s ‘jobs first approach’ July 8, 2020 Small businesses have welcomed Rishi Sunak’s plan to prioritise jobs as part of a raft measures to get the economy back on its feet. Announcing his mini Budget today, the Chancellor pledged to “protect, support and create” jobs with a raft of new measures. Among plans to boost consumer spending, the Chancellor has cut VAT [...]
More needs to be done to power green recovery, say industry leaders July 8, 2020 Rishi Sunak has confirmed a £3bn green plan to boost employment and upgrade the UK’s infrastructure, but industry leaders have warned more needs to be done to power the recovery. In the much-awaited summer statement, the Chancellor said he planned to tackle the economic challenges of the pandemic with a “historic investment in infrastructure”. Responding [...]
Labour: Chancellor has ‘put off big decisions’ in summer statement July 8, 2020 Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has accused Rishi Sunak of putting off many of the “big decisions” until the autumn. Responding to the Chancellor’s statement Dodds said” “Today should have been the day when our government chose to build a bridge on what has been done so far and what needs to be done… we should [...]
Rishi Sunak announces there will be ‘no cap’ on Kickstart scheme for under 25s July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced there will be no cap on the Kickstart scheme, which will see the government subsidise jobs for young people on Universal Credit. The Chancellor announced the “kickstart scheme” to help under 25s during the pandemic. An initial £2bn has been made available and there will be no cap on the [...]
President Trump officially pulls US out of the World Health Organisation July 7, 2020 President Donald Trump has formally withdrawn the United States from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. The US will leave the WHO on 6 July 2021, the United Nations said after receiving formal notification from the President. Senator Robert Menendez, a top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee [...]
Economic recovery will be determined by public policy, says BoE’s Haldane July 7, 2020 The UK’s path to economic recovery will be determined by the course of public policy, the Bank of England’s chief economist Andy Haldane said today. “Our economic destiny lies not in the stars but to a significant extent in ourselves, in what policy course we choose,” Haldane said in an online webinar. “What is done [...]
McDonald’s breakfast menu returns to all but 28 of its restaurants tomorrow July 7, 2020 McDonald’s will bring back its breakfast menu tomorrow to all but 28 of its open restaurants across the UK and Ireland. Last week the fast food chain announced the gradual roll out of its breakfast menu and walk-in takeaway service to more restaurants. The breakfast menu will continue to be a limited menu for now, [...]
