PwC UK freezes pay as partners told they will shoulder financial burden of crisis April 5, 2020 PwC UK froze promotions, pay rises and bonuses for staff last week and told partners they will shoulder the financial burden of the economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus lockdown. The Big Four firm has delayed its staff appraisal programme that normally kicks off after 31 March, meaning bonuses, pay rises and promotions will not [...]
Europe starts preparations for easing of coronavirus lockdown April 5, 2020 Governments across Europe have started preparations for a gradual easing of the coronavirus lockdown as officials seek a safe strategy for returning their countries to normality. France, Spain, Belgium and Finland are among countries that have set up expert committees to explore a staggered lifting of stay-at-home orders for some schools and businesses, the Financial [...]
Excel centre u-turns on charging NHS for temporary hospital April 5, 2020 Owners of the Excel London have decided to not charge the NHS to use the convention centre as a temporary hospital after a barrage of criticism. Excel centre chief executive Jeremy Reeves released a statement today to say the building’s owners, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec), would waive the fixed costs it had previously [...]
Anneliese Dodds named as Keir Starmer’s shadow chancellor April 5, 2020 Anneliese Dodds has been named shadow chancellor under new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, less than three years after being elected to parliament. Leadership rival Lisa Nandy has been named shadow foreign secretary, former Oxford don Nick Thomas-Symonds has been named shadow home secretary and Jon Ashworth has retained the shadow health portfolio. Newly elected [...]
Coronavirus: Former F1 chief Ron Dennis donates £1m for NHS staff meals April 5, 2020 Former McLaren F1 boss Ron Dennis has launched a major initiative to serve 1m free meals to frontline NHS workers. The multimillionaire motor racing mogul has pledged more than £1m to provide meals for medical staff across the country as they battle the coronavirus pandemic. The food will be delivered to intensive care care staff, [...]
Bank of England’s Andrew Bailey rejects direct government financing amid coronavirus April 5, 2020 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has defended the institution’s drastic response to the coronavirus slowdown, saying it is not directly financing government spending and is against such an idea. Threadneedle Street has ramped up quantitative easing (QE), under which it creates money and buy bonds to stimulate lending, to tackle the fallout from coronavirus. [...]
Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab urge world leaders to avoid protectionist trade policies April 5, 2020 Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab have warned world leaders not to implement protectionist policies during the coronavirus crisis after Donald Trump halted millions of face masks being exported to Germany. Raab wrote an article on behalf of himself, Johnson and international trade secretary Liz Truss to urge G7 and G20 leaders to “keep trade routes [...]
Cebr: UK output has plunged 30 per cent amid coronavirus April 5, 2020 UK economic output has fallen by roughly 30 per cent, according to new research, but some sectors such as manufacturing are much worse off than other areas like insurance and finance. As coronavirus containment measures cause businesses across the country to close and demand to slump, the UK economy has slowed dramatically. Economists have struggled [...]
Matt Hancock threatens complete outdoor exercise ban April 5, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock has threatened to ban exercise as a part of the government’s social distancing measures if people do not follow the rules. Pictures have emerged today of people picnicking or lounging in parks and beaches across the country as some continue to flout the government’s Covid-19 lockdown rules. Hancock told the BBC [...]
Playstations and yoga mats: Online shopping surges amid UK lockdown April 5, 2020 Online shopping has boomed in Britain since the country entered coronavirus lockdown, with households buying games consoles to pass the hours and yoga mats to keep fit and healthy while movement is restricted. Transactions at major online UK retailers are at 170 per cent of their seasonal average, according to internet advertising firm Criteo. Brits [...]
