City grandees call for coronavirus lockdown to be eased April 26, 2020 A group of City of London grandees have urged the government to ease the coronavirus lockdown amidst fears a prolonged shutdown would “do more harm to people’s health by putting them out of work”. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will return to work tomorrow as Downing Street looks to formulate the next phase of its coronavirus [...]
Virgin Atlantic says it is still in talks with UK over bailout April 26, 2020 Virgin Atlantic today said it was still in talks with the UK government about a state bailout to deal with the travel shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The airline said talks were ongoing after the Sunday Telegraph reported that discussions had been “effectively shelved” and Virgin’s owner Richard Branson was now seeking a buyer [...]
Coronavirus: UK must prepare for ‘new normal’, says Dominic Raab April 26, 2020 Dominic Raab has warned that Britons will need to adapt to a “new normal” as Boris Johnson prepares to go back to work tomorrow for the first time since being hospitalised. Raab said today that the UK “won’t be going back” to how it was before Covid-19, echoing statements from chief medical officer Chris Whitty [...]
Coronavirus: Firms must adapt to survive April 26, 2020 As companies slowly transition from shock to survival during what is arguably history’s biggest peacetime crisis, it is becoming increasingly clear that the coronavirus pandemic has the potential to completely transform how the world does business. During an initial ‘Shock Phase’, which started around the middle of March and ended towards the middle of April, [...]
Tory MPs to scrutinise UK’s relationship with China amid anger over Covid-19 response April 25, 2020 Top Tory MPs have today launched a new research group aimed at reassessing the UK’s relationship with China amid concerns over the country’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. The China Research Group will gather and share information on Chinese foreign and industrial policy, as well as its ownership and development of new technologies. MPs said [...]
We must understand China to manage the threat of this rising superpower April 24, 2020 Tom Tugendhat MP is Chair of the Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee As the world gets to grips with Covid-19, it is increasingly clear that this unprecedented crisis will have a huge impact on almost all aspects of our lives. And while some changes may take years to fully appreciate, others are already staring us in [...]
Facebook launches group video chat feature in blow to Houseparty April 24, 2020 Facebook today unveiled a new group video call feature for its Messenger app in a move that could sound the death knell for pandemic rival Houseparty. The joinable group calls, dubbed Messenger Rooms, will allow up to 50 people to discover and drop into “rooms”. The rooms, which can be created directly from Facebook or [...]
How and when will the UK coronavirus lockdown end? April 24, 2020 This week health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the coronavirus outbreak has passed its peak, sparking speculation about an exit strategy from the UK lockdown. However, officials have poured cold water on the idea that Britain could return to normal soon. Last week the government said the UK coronavirus lockdown would continue for at least another [...]
CMA receives 16,000 consumer complaints over coronavirus refunds April 24, 2020 Around four fifths of the complaints received by the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) coronavirus taskforce have been related to refunds and cancellations. As of the beginning of the week, the CMA has received a total of 21,000 complaints related to the disease. According to the competition watchdog, 14,000 of these complaints refer to the [...]
Coronavirus: Executives pessimistic about quick rebound for their firms April 24, 2020 The majority of executives think it will take longer than a year for their firms to bounce back from the coronavirus crash, a report has said. Bosses are also deeply pessimistic about the prospects of the global economy. They are slightly less pessimistic about their own companies and industries, however. The report, from the Economist [...]
