Premier Inn owner Whitbread asks landlords for 50 per cent rent cut December 23, 2020 Premier Inn owner Whitbread has asked its landlords for a rent cut of 50 per cent, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic restrictions continue to affect trade. Whitbread sent a letter to its landlords, urging them to “share some of the pain of lockdown,” according to reports. Whitbread, which also owns Beefeater and Brewers Fayre brands, [...]
Festive cocktails, whether you’re fully stocked or the cupboard’s bare December 23, 2020 What a short-lived foray back into the great restaurants, bars and pubs of London that was! Like many restaurateurs and publicans across the country, I don’t mind being told to close my venue for the good of the nation (although there is still no evidence that hospitality contributes significantly more than other sectors to the [...]
BREAKING: Another new mutation of Covid-19 spreading in UK from South Africa December 23, 2020 A new mutation of Covid-19 is spreading in the United Kingdom, having arrived from South Africa. The variant, which is considered to be even faster to spread than the mutation announced last week, is highly contagious. Anybody who has been to South Africa in the last two weeks, and any close contacts of anybody who [...]
Almost all of southern England plunged into Tier 4 on Boxing Day December 23, 2020 The vast majority of the South of England will be plunged into Tier 4 on Boxing Day, leaving half of England facing the strictest coronavirus restrictions. On Sunday morning London and southeast England were put into new ‘Tier 4’ restrictions. The restrictions are akin to that of lockdown, with all non-essential businesses closed and residents [...]
Go Betty Go: Pound soars as speculation mounts EU deal is imminent December 23, 2020 Reports that a post-Brexit trade deal could emerge sooner rather than later has seen Sterling soar against the dollar. The pound has hit $1.35 after an EU diplomat told Reuters that a deal would be coming “today or tomorrow.” Other sources have suggested a deal is imminent. The Sun is reporting that the last compromise [...]
Covid-19: Hancock to speak at 3pm, as R Rate rises to between 1.1 and 1.3 December 23, 2020 The UK's Covid R rate has risen to between 1.1 and 1.3, according to government data.
Reports: EU putting in place ‘procedures’ for post-Brexit trade deal December 23, 2020 EU member states are beginning to put in place procedures for post-Brexit trade deal, reports have emerged in the last few minutes. Three diplomatic sources told Reuters that preparations have been stepped up. Reuters reports that national diplomats have been told to prepare for a meeting as early as Thursday should a deal be struck [...]
Covid-19: It’s 1-1 at half-time in the biggest match of our lives December 23, 2020 A monumental effort has produced the first vaccines for Covid-19 in a timescale that at the start of the year looked very difficult. The fact we are now seeing people like Margaret Keenan, the first to receive the vaccine in the UK, given an injection shows the progress made in vaccines over the past 10 [...]
The Frankfurt Airlift: Lufthansa exploring additional fresh food flights to UK December 23, 2020 Lufthansa have offered special cargo flights for fresh fruit and vegetables into the UK as firms try to beat the chaos at Dover. Up to 3,000 lorries remain stuck at the Kent port despite an agreement being struck to allow hauliers with negative Covid-19 tests to cross the channel. Supply chains across the continent have [...]
Brexit, people and the pandemic: Critical actions for business December 23, 2020 The latest travel bans from the UK into Europe, induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, present real challenges for businesses in the final days leading up to the end of the Brexit transition period. How do these travel restrictions relate to Brexit? In two ways: Firstly, these restrictions particularly impact those in financial services who have [...]
