One-in-three working Britons had wages subsidised by government during Covid July 8, 2021 One-in-three of the UK’s workforce had their pay subsidised by the government during Covid-19, new figures from the Treasury revealed today. The figures showed that 11.6m people were on the furlough scheme at some point throughout the pandemic, while 2.9m self-employed people made use of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. The furlough scheme has seen [...]
Business growth returns across financial services sector in second quarter July 8, 2021 Business volumes across the financial services sector in the second quarter grew at its fastest pace since June 2017, after stalling in the previous quarter. Growth in business volumes across the financial sector in the second quarter was at 40 per cent, its fastest pace since June 2017, and is expected to continue in the [...]
16 years on from 7/7 bombings: Survivor warns ‘world is a dangerous place’ July 7, 2021 Sajida Mughal OBE was one of the survivors of the 7/7 bombings and 16 years later she remembers the attack that almost claimed her life. She said “the world is no safer than it was 16 years ago, its still a dangerous place.” “For example, there has been the rise in far-right extremism and I’ve [...]
Gas firms pushed UK minister to burn more gas in transition to clean energy July 7, 2021 Fossil fuel giants lobbied a UK government minister to use more natural gas in the transition to lower carbon energy production. As reported by Channel 4, a memo released under the Freedom of Information Act details how firms pushed the then-trade minister Connor Burns to accept a “greater recognition” of gas. The document, obtained by [...]
PM reveals Asda woes over post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol July 7, 2021 Asda is facing unnecessary checks on its goods crossing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland due to onerous post-Brexit red tape, according to Boris Johnson. Johnson said there are some “very serious problems” with the way the EU was implementing the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol and that movement needs to happen “pretty fast” to fix [...]
Forget the Caribbean, we have all the rum we need in Cornwall and Devon July 7, 2021 When you think rum you probably think of the Caribbean: Jamaica, Barbados, perhaps Martinique. But you could also look a little closer to home. Cornish and Devonian rums are officially among the best in the world after Hattiers Eminence and Rosemullion Chocolate rums won gold medals at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC), the [...]
Boris Johnson orders national security adviser to review Chinese takeover of UK chip plant July 7, 2021 Boris Johnson has ordered his national security advisor to probe the takeover of the UK’s largest chip factory by a Chinese-owned semiconductor firm. The Prime Minister today said the sale was “a very difficult business” and that “we will look at it again”. Nexperia, a Dutch firm owned by China’s Wingtech, on Monday said it [...]
UK records highest daily Covid-19 case rate since January July 7, 2021 The number of people testing positive for coronavirus has surpassed 32,000 for the first time since January, according to the latest government figures. In the latest daily update, there were 32,548 reported cases of the virus, up from 28,733 cases on Tuesday. The latest total has more than doubled from just over a week ago [...]
FTSE 100 climbs as surging commodity prices boost industrials July 7, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 climbed this afternoon after a rally in commodity prices boosted industrial stocks. The capital’s premier index gained 0.43 per cent to reach 7,129 in afternoon trading. The rise was driven by surging oil and raw material prices providing a boost for oil majors, miners and steel producers. Oil prices soared to a [...]
Uber under pressure as Chinese rival Didi enters UK July 7, 2021 Uber will come under pressure from yet another ride-hailing rival as China’s Didi prepares to launch in the UK in the coming weeks. Didi is said to have secured its first licences in Manchester and Sheffield and is set to begin services as soon as this month, the Daily Telegraph reported. The arrival of the [...]
