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 [...]
Up the chain: Boris and Ursula try to seal a deal before Christmas December 23, 2020 PM Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are said to be in “close contact” in a last-ditch bid to secure a post-Brexit trade deal. Talks on the future relationship between the UK and the EU have now dragged on for four and a half years. Read more: One final push but [...]
Individuals rush to sell assets as capital gains tax bill rockets to £10.1bn December 23, 2020 The UK’s capital gains tax (CGT) bill has hit £10.1bn, up more than fourfold from £2.5bn a decade earlier, prompting people to sell their assets. Despite the increase of nearly £7.5bn in a decade, more CGT could be demanded from the taxpayer. The Office for Tax Simplification recently recommended the Chancellor increase CGT rates in [...]
Beringea: VCs will regret overpaying during the pandemic December 23, 2020 2020 is on track for a record year of VC investment but after a slow start followed by an avalanche of deals in September VCs should be in self-reflection mode. City A.M. spoke to the refreshingly honest Karen McCormick, chief investment officer of Beringea about the lessons learned from the pandemic and where VCs went [...]
