Coronavirus: Government urged to take ‘every possible step’ to bring UK tourists home March 29, 2020 Foreign affairs select committee chair Tom Tugendhat has written to foreign secretary Dominic Raab seeking assurances that the government has taken “every possible step” to return UK citizens stranded abroad to the UK. Although the exact number is unclear, there are currently hundreds of thousands of British tourists stuck overseas due to the coronavirus outbreak. [...]
Coronavirus lockdown could last six months, says deputy chief medical officer March 29, 2020 The coronavirus lockdown could last up to six months or “plausibly” longer, according to deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries. In a press conference today, she said: “Over time, probably over the next six months, we will have a three week review [of the lockdown]. “So I think three weeks for review, two or [...]
New FCA boss to hold crisis coronavirus meeting with banks March 29, 2020 The interim boss of the City watchdog is set to hold crisis talks tomorrow with the Bank of England and the heads of the high street banks to try and plot a course through the economic chaos triggered by coronavirus. Chris Woolard said he wanted the industry to work out how to protect people unable [...]
Coronavirus: EDF to furlough Hinkley Point workers after reducing site numbers March 29, 2020 Hundreds of workers at EDF’s Hinkley Point C nuclear plant are being furloughed after the firm decided to cut the number of workers on site by more than half. In an attempt to cut costs, the Telegraph reported that many of the site’s workers are being moved onto the government’s employee retention scheme, which guarantees [...]
Government in talks over state takeover of Flybe – report March 29, 2020 Collapsed airline Flybe’s administrator EY has denied reports that it is in negotiations with the government to buy the regional carrier out of bankruptcy in order to protect the UK’s battered aviation sector. According to the Telegraph, the Big Four auditor has opened talks with government officials about nationalising the airline in order to serve [...]
Coronavirus: NHS warned in 2016 it could not handle a severe pandemic March 29, 2020 The NHS failed a major stress test three years ago to see if it could cope with a severe pandemic, but the results were never made public. The test revealed to ministers, including then health secretary Jeremy Hunt, that the health service would have a shortage of protective equipment, critical care beds and morgue capacity [...]
MPs urge chancellor Rishi Sunak to act ‘urgently’ to save UK’s airlines March 29, 2020 A group of 38 MPs has written to chancellor Rishi Sunak asking him to “urgently review” the support that the UK’s airlines and airports have asked for in a bid to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Since the outbreak began, the global aviation industry has been decimated, with travel restrictions now covering 98 per cent of [...]
Culture in quarantine: Which UK venues have gone virtual during the coronavirus crisis? March 29, 2020 Since Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week ramped up social distancing measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, thousands of cultural institutions across the UK have been forced to close their doors. However, as millions of Brits hunker down at home, a range of arts and culture venues have launched new digital initiatives to ensure exhibitions [...]
McLaren joins industrial push to manufacture 10,000 ventilators March 29, 2020 Supercar maker McLaren is one of a number of firms who have joined forces in a bid to massively increase the production of ventilators to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Ventilator Challenge UK, as the consortium is known, comprises some of the UK’s largest industrial groups, bringing together companies such as BAE [...]
Virgin Money delays branch closures in face of coronavirus March 29, 2020 Challenger bank Virgin Money is reviewing plans to close branches as lenders focus on mitigating the impact of the coronavirus. Hundreds of jobs earmarked for redundancy could also now be put on hold as the bank pauses branch closure plans, according to the Sunday Telegraph. Read more: Lloyds suspends 780 planned job cuts amid coronavirus [...]
