Coronavirus: Premier League clubs should face ‘windfall tax’ April 2, 2020 Premier League clubs that furlough non-playing staff during the Covid-19 crisis should be slapped with a windfall tax, according to the chair of Westminster’s sports select committee. Tottenham, Newcastle and Norwich City have taken steps to furlough non-playing staff so they can access the government’s wage subsidy scheme, while still paying players their full contracts. [...]
Coronavirus: Brits approve of government for first time in almost a decade April 2, 2020 The British public approves of the government for the first time in almost a decade, according to the latest research. A survey found that amid the coronavirus crisis 52 per cent of Brits said they approve of Boris Johnson’s government’s record, compared to 26 per cent who disapprove. Net approval is now 26 per cent, [...]
Bank of England injects £1.9bn into UK companies via coronavirus scheme April 2, 2020 The Bank of England has injected £1.9bn into UK companies since 23 March via its short-term lending programme, figures have shown, as it tries to shore up the economy amid the coronavirus outbreak. The lending comes via the Bank’s covid corporate finance facility (CCFF), through which it buys companies’ short-term debt, known as commercial paper. [...]
Morrisons hikes staff bonus amid coronavirus crisis April 2, 2020 Morrisons has pledged to reward frontline employees working throughout the coronavirus crisis by increasing annual bonuses three-fold. The supermarket announced today that frontline staff will receive a six per cent bonus on their earnings for the next 12 months, rather than just the next eight to 12 weeks. Morrisons said the changes mean a full-time [...]
Standard Chartered boss says US and UK ‘too late’ with coronavirus lockdowns April 2, 2020 Standard Chartered boss Bill Winters today criticised the response of authorities in the UK and US to the coronavirus pandemic. Winters said the US and UK had acted “too late” with their measures to contain the virus. “I find it interesting to listen to the debate now that we in the West, or in the [...]
Coronavirus: Boris Johnson set to leave self-isolation on Friday – but he still has symptoms April 2, 2020 Boris Johnson will leave self-isolation tomorrow despite still showing symptoms of coronavirus. The Prime Minister said last Friday that he had tested positive for Covid-19. He self-isolated for seven days as per Public Health England’s (PHE) guidance. Johnson has continued to fulfill his prime ministerial duties during this period through conference calls and virtual meetings. [...]
Coronavirus: US jobless claims soar to new record of 6.6m April 2, 2020 More than 6.6m Americans filed for unemployment benefits for the first time last week, figures have shown, eclipsing the previous record of 3.3m jobless claims set the previous week as coronavirus crashes the US economy. The US jobless claims figure from the Department of Labor was almost twice as bad as the 3.5m analysts had [...]
UK coronavirus death toll jumps 566 to 2,921 April 2, 2020 The UK’s coronavirus death toll jumped 569 today to 2,921, the Department of Health said. As of 9am today, a total of 163,194 people have been tested of which 33,718 tested positive, the department said. As of 5pm yesterday, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 2,921 have died, the department [...]
Coronavirus: Online beer and wine shop reports 1,000 per cent surge in sales April 2, 2020 Londoners have been stocking up on alcohol supplies during the coronavirus lockdown, with one online craft beer reporting a 1,000 per cent increase in sales. Beer and wine supplier Rebellious Goods said its online business has seen 11 times more orders in March compared to February, while average order sizes are three times above pre-coronavirus [...]
Second wave of nudge letters seeking offshore funds lands from HMRC April 2, 2020 In last month’s Budget, chancellor Rishi Sunak declared that the Treasury would raise an additional £4.7bn over five years by further combating tax evasion and avoidance. Thousands of letters were sent at the end of February by HMRC, asking individuals suspected of not disclosing offshore assets to review their affairs. This is sent along with [...]