Boris Johnson backs Dominic Cummings over lockdown travel row May 24, 2020 Boris Johnson will not sack chief adviser Dominic Cummings for allegedly leaving London twice to travel to Durham during coronavirus lockdown. Speaking at today’s press briefing, the Prime Minister said Cummings acted “legally and reasonably” when he drove to Durham during the lockdown and that “his objective was to stop the spread of the virus”. [...]
Boris Johnson will lead daily press conference amidst Dominic Cummings saga May 24, 2020 Boris Johnson will lead today’s daily press briefing at 5pm as calls continue to grow for his chief adviser Dominic Cummings to resign. Johnson has so far stuck by Cummings despite mounting pressure from a group of Tory backbenchers for allegedly travelling from London to Durham twice during the coronavirus lockdown. A joint investigation by [...]
Coronavirus: Pizza Express could permanently close some restaurants May 24, 2020 Pizza Express could be forced to permanently close some of its 470 UK restaurants after the coronavirus crisis heaped pressure on the debt-laden firm. The casual dining chain, which is owned by Chinese private equity firm Hony Capital, is reportedly mulling a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which would allow it to shutter some or all [...]
Lufthansa to resume flights to 20 more destinations next month May 24, 2020 German airline Lufthansa will resume flights to 20 destinations next month, including some holiday hotspots, the company announced today. The airline, which is in talks with the German government over a £8.1bn bailout, will resume flights from mid-June, with Mallorca, Crete, Rhoades, Faro, Venice, Ibiza and Malaga among the destinations. The flights will operate from [...]
Car rental firm Hertz files for US bankruptcy protection May 24, 2020 Car rental firm Hertz has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US after the coronavirus pandemic caused demand to collapse. The firm, whose largest shareholder is billionaire investor Carl Icahn, said the “sudden and dramatic” impact of coronavirus on travel demand had caused a “abrupt decline” in revenue and future bookings. A large portion of [...]
AstraZeneca chief ‘very confident’ Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial will work May 24, 2020 The head of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has said he is “very confident” that Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine trial will work. Pascal Soriot said he thought his company, which has been commissioned to distribute the vaccine if effective, can begin to distribute the vaccine in December. AstraZeneca has been commissioned to provide 100m doses of the [...]
Tory MPs call for Dominic Cummings to resign May 24, 2020 A growing group of Conservative MPs are calling for Dominic Cummings to resign after he allegedly broke lockdown to travel to Durham twice. Steve Baker, Simon Hoare, Damian Collins, Sir Roger Gale, Peter Bone, Caroline Nokes and Craig Whittaker have all called for Boris Johnson’s chief aide to resign this morning after new evidence came [...]
Appointment times and NHS discounts: How retailers plan to lure shoppers back after lockdown May 23, 2020 After more than two months of enforced closure during the UK coronavirus lockdown, retailers across England are preparing to potentially reopen to shoppers from 1 June. The high street will look different when retailers are allowed to open their doors. Social distancing signage will be in place, shop assistants will wear masks and a number [...]
Zoom Zoom Zoom: Why video-conferences are so draining May 22, 2020 When the annals of lockdown come to be written, we will find that the pandemic, like any other great crisis, has produced its own lexicon. You can see it already: self-isolating, social distancing, herd immunity. High up among these new usages will be the teleconferencing company Zoom. Full disclosure: I was an early adopter. The [...]
UK arrivals face £1,000 fine if they break two-week quarantine rule May 22, 2020 People arriving in the UK will be fined £1,000 if they refuse to obey a new two-week quarantine rule that will be rolled out to help halt the spread of coronavirus. Home secretary Priti Patel today confirmed that from 8 June anyone arriving in the country will be told to self-isolate for 14 days. Passengers [...]
