Coronavirus: UK death toll rises by 170, the smallest increase since day after lockdown May 17, 2020 The number of people who have died in the UK from coronavirus rose by 170 to 34,636, business secretary Alok Sharma has announced. The rise is the lowest daily increase since 24 March, the day after lockdown measures were implemented. It also represents a sharp drop from the previous 24 hours, in which 468 more [...]
Sir James Dyson tops rich list as coronavirus hits mega-wealthy May 17, 2020 Entrepreneur Sir James Dyson has climbed to the top of the Sunday Times’ annual rich list, which saw the combined wealth of its 1,000 constituents fall due to the coronavirus pandemic. Dyson, who takes the top spot for the first time, saw his net worth increase by £3.6bn in the last year, despite a £500m [...]
Hiscox policyholders set to launch legal action against firm over coronavirus claims May 17, 2020 A group of Hiscox policyholders angry at the insurance giant’s decision to exclude coronavirus-related disruptions from its business interruption policies have been given the go-ahead to launch legal action against the firm. According to law firm Mishcon de Reya, over 400 policyholders with nearly £40m in claims have joined the Hiscox Action Group. The law [...]
Former LSE boss Rolet joins Shore Capital as non-exec chairman May 17, 2020 The former boss of the London Stock Exchange Xavier Rolet has joined brokerage firm Shore Capital as the chairman of its capital markets business. In his decade at the head of London’s bourse, Rolet transformed the LSE into one of the world’s largest indices by market capitalization. When he joined, its valuation stood at £800m, [...]
HS2: MPs say controversial rail project ‘badly off course’ May 17, 2020 MPs have slammed the controversial HS2 rail project, saying that the scheme is “badly off course” and calling for far greater transparency from its executives. In a new report, the Public Accounts Committee criticised the body for failing to provide an accurate picture of the project’s health when providing evidence to the committee. It also [...]
Treasury mulling plans for ‘bad bank’ to manage stakes in bailed-out firms May 17, 2020 The Treasury is considering plans to develop a so-called “bad bank” in order to hold stake in bailed out companies, the Sunday Times reported, amid fears that key firms could fail due to the coronavirus pandemic. The initiative reflects similar steps taken by the Labour party during the 2008 financial crisis, when it set up [...]
Heathrow Airport to begin temperature screening trial this week May 17, 2020 Passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport’s terminal two will from Thursday be screened to see if they have high temperatures in an attempt to identify whether they have coronavirus. The airport will implement thermal screening technology in the immigration area, which will automatically scan anyone passing through the terminal. Later, it will also begin to use [...]
Virgin Atlantic won’t fly until August under proposed quarantine measures – report May 15, 2020 The government’s plans to implement a 14-day quarantine period on incoming travellers to the UK would prevent Virgin Atlantic from resuming passenger flights until August. A source at the airline told Reuters that if the initiative, which was announced on Sunday, was approved, it would not be able to fill its aircraft. It said: “If [...]
Coronavirus: 384 more deaths recorded in the UK May 15, 2020 The number of coronavirus deaths in the UK has risen by 384 to 33,998, the Department of Health has said. The latest death toll counts those who tested positive for coronavirus and died by 5pm on 14 May. As of 9am this morning, the department said that it had carried out 2,353,078 tests in total, [...]
Rail franchises to introduce social distancing measures as lockdown eases May 15, 2020 Rail franchises including Avanti West Coast and LNER are set to introduce measures to help passengers socially distance on journeys, it was announced. From Monday, LNER, which runs services on the east coast, will introduce mandatory seat reservations for all passengers. Passengers will be required to have a reservation for the specific train they wish [...]
