Boris Johnson accused of misleading the House of Commons on care homes May 13, 2020 Boris Johnson has been accused of misleading parliament after being asked about the government’s coronavirus guidance on care homes. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked the Prime Minister today why the government’s advice up to 12 March was that it was unlikely that care home residents would be infected with coronavirus. Johnson denied this was [...]
Boris Johnson urges commuters not to crowd onto public transport May 13, 2020 Boris Johnson has urged commuters not to crowd onto public transport as some workers began returning to their offices today. Speaking in parliament, the Prime Minister said: “I don’t want to see crowding on mass transit or public transport in our capital or anywhere else”. Johnson’s words come after a number of images were released [...]
494 more UK coronavirus deaths in last 24 hours May 13, 2020 Another 494 Brits have now died from coronavirus, according to government count of confirmed cases released this afternoon. The new figures bring the total to 33,186 UK coronavirus deaths since the outbreak hit British shores. And another 3,242 people tested positive for coronavirus yesterday to bring the total to 229,705 cases in the UK. The [...]
Public support for government handling of coronavirus falls May 13, 2020 Public support for the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis has fallen, according to research published today. A survey by polling firm Kantar found 49 per cent of respondents thought the government was doing fairly or very well on coronavirus, down from 61 per cent in April. Forty three per cent said its handling of [...]
Starling and Funding Circle to provide £300m in small business loans May 13, 2020 Starling Bank and Funding Circle today said they have teamed up to provide £300m in loans to small firms under the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS). Starling will lend through Funding Circle alongside other institutional investors, granting access to funding for more than 4,000 small businesses across the UK. Both fintech firms have been [...]
Scrapping the furlough scheme would have been a disaster May 13, 2020 Businesses can breathe a little easier today. Fears that the Chancellor would cut back on the furlough scheme that is subsidising wages for a million businesses were put to rest as he confirmed that it would run into the Autumn. After days of mixed messages, Rishi Sunak’s reassurances that the withdrawal of support would not [...]
Why staying close to your accountant matters more now May 13, 2020 Accountants exist to ensure the accuracy of financial statements and advise how to save money or boost revenue. The coronavirus pandemic, then, with its profound and deepening impact on the economy has jolted the profession like all others. Depending on their role, accountants have been battling to keep on top of the unprecedented flurry of [...]
Nissan to make restructuring cuts of $2.8bn – report May 13, 2020 Japanese auto giant Nissan is preparing to make cuts of $2.8bn (£2.3bn) in fixed costs as part of its restructuring plan, as the firm prepares to make its first loss since the financial crisis. Bloomberg reported that the company will announce the plan on 28 May after three years of falling profits at the Japanese [...]
Twitter allows staff to work from home permanently May 13, 2020 Twitter has told employees they can work from home “forever” as the social media firm adapts to new working conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In a company-wide email yesterday chief executive Jack Dorsey said Twitter had been one of the first adopters of the flexible working model and would allow staff to continue to [...]
City Hall report: A quarter of London businesses on brink of collapse May 13, 2020 Almost a quarter of London businesses are on the brink of collapse, according to new figures from City Hall. A YouGov survey commissioned by City Hall’s London Growth Hub found 23 per cent of the capital’s businesses won’t last more than two months of the coronavirus lockdown, which began on 13 March. The report found [...]