Crown court trials to be suspended after lawyers push back on health fears March 17, 2020 Crown court trials expected to last longer than three days have been put on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak after sustained pressure from lawyers. Tonight, the Lord Chief Justice released a statement announcing the adjournment of all cases of this length expected to begin in April. The move came after the head of the [...]
European leaders agree to lockdown external borders for 30 days March 17, 2020 European leaders have agreed to implement a 30-day ban on non-essential travel to the EU in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. The measures, which were proposed yesterday by the European Commission, were just one of a number of steps that commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles [...]
IR35 reforms to be delayed for a year due to coronavirus March 17, 2020 Chief treasury secretary Steve Barclay this evening announced that the IR35 tax reforms would be pushed back by one year, less than a week after the controversial measures were confirmed in the Budget. Speaking at the despatch box in today’s Budget debate in the Commons, Barclay confirmed that the changes, which will clamp down on [...]
Noel Quinn made HSBC chief executive on permanent basis March 17, 2020 Banking giant HSBC has confirmed that interim chief executive Noel Quinn will take up the post permanently with immediate effect, bringing to an end a six-month external search. In August last year chairman Mark Tucker ousted chief executive John Flint over an alleged argument about how fast the bank should have been hitting its targets. [...]
Gatwick chief takes 20 per cent pay cut as airport lays off 200 workers March 17, 2020 Gatwick Airport has implemented a number of measures to protect its financial resilience in light of plummeting airline demand due to the coronavirus outbreak. The airport is cutting 200 of its temporary staff and exploring the potential to introduce options for unpaid leave or temporary salary reductions for staff. Chief executive Stewart Wingate will take [...]
Aviva confirms it will still pay dividend despite fall in cash March 17, 2020 Insurance giant Aviva confirmed today that it is still planning on paying its dividend in May despite its financial position contracting. Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Financial Services Conference, which was held remotely, the firm said that its solvency cover ratio had fallen to 175 per cent, down from 206 per cent on 31 December. [...]
Government must ease restrictions for food production workers, says industry March 17, 2020 The chairman of leading UK food producer Finnebrogue Artisan has called on the government to relax self-isolation restrictions for workers in the food industry or risk “serious food shortages”. According to Denis Lynn, forcing any one who lives with someone showing symptoms of coronavirus to self-isolate for 14 days could “wreak havoc on our capacity [...]
Coronavirus: UK confirmed cases rise by over 400 to reach 1,950 March 17, 2020 The Department of Health has announced that there have now been 1,950 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, up from 1,543 yesterday. The jump in cases is the biggest yet recorded in the UK and comes after the government warned that the country was likely to enter a surge. On Twitter the Department also [...]
Stobart Group confirms sale of Southend Airport stake but warns of coronavirus delay March 17, 2020 Logistics firm Stobart Group has confirmed that it is in talks to sell a 25 per cent stake in London Southend airport, but that the sale will be delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Yesterday Sky News first reported that German-based Avi Alliance had made a £700m approach for a quarter of the airport, with [...]
Covid-19: IATA calls for $200bn in state aid for beleaguered airlines March 17, 2020 Industry body the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that the world’s airlines may need up to $200bn in government support to see them through the coronavirus crisis. Airlines around the world are in talks with different governments regarding the possibility of state aid as the outbreak continues to devastate the aviation industry. Boeing, [...]
