Tory mayoral candidate under fire for using fake City Hall logo on campaign leaflets December 16, 2020 The Conservative party’s candidate for London mayor has drawn sharp criticism for using fake City Hall coats of arms on campaign letters sent out to voters. The letters from Shaun Bailey were branded with messages saying “Do not ignore”, alongside fake City Hall insignia with a cod Latin motto underneath. They also warned Londoners their [...]
Covid vaccine: 138,000 people in UK get Pfizer jab in first week December 16, 2020 Almost 138,000 people in the UK received the coronavirus vaccine last week, the government has announced, after ministers came under pressure for failing to track the details of the vaccination programme. Tweeting the figures this morning, newly-appointed vaccine tsar Nadhim Zahawi said: “A really good start to the vaccination program.” Zahawi said the number of [...]
Michael Gove to hold Covid Christmas talks with devolved nations over ‘rethink’ December 16, 2020 Talks over the plans to relax coronavirus restrictions over the Christmas period will continue today amid concerns that doing so could lead to a surge in cases of the disease. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will continue to lead negotiations with representatives from the UK’s devolved administrations, having failed to reach agreement yesterday. Under the [...]
UK inflation drops to 0.3 per cent as clothes and food prices sink December 16, 2020 The UK’s inflation rate fell sharply to 0.3 per cent as food and clothes prices eased during England’s month-long lockdown, according to the latest official figures. The headline CPI rate sank from 0.7 per cent in October to 0.3 per cent in November, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed. Clothes and footwear [...]
Travis Perkins returns furlough cash following DIY boom December 16, 2020 Travis Perkins has announced it will return business rates relief and furlough cash for its Wickes and Toolstation brands, as the company continued to see a strong demand for DIY during the pandemic. The Northampton-headquartered firm said this morning that the repayment of government assistance totalled £50m. “Given the status of Wickes as an essential [...]
Britain begins trials of Valneva vaccine December 15, 2020 Valneva will begin phase one and two UK trials of its coronavirus vaccine today, boosting Britain’s chances of wide-scale inoculation next year. The Scottish-based vaccine company will initially test its jab on 150 British volunteers in England. Early stage trials will attempt to prove whether the vaccine produces a safe and effective immune response against [...]
Chinese Embassy plans at risk over Black Death bodies December 15, 2020 Plans to build China’s largest European embassy in east London could be scuppered after local leaders raised concerns that the foundations would disrupt the bodies of thousands of bubonic plague victims. Councillors in Tower Hamlets have flagged complaints to Historic England, warning that the building will disturb “a site of major historical importance”. China bought the former [...]
FTSE 100 slips ahead of London lockdown as job losses mount December 15, 2020 The FTSE 100 slipped into the red as London prepared itself for a new lockdown and job losses climbed, with the index bucking the trend of European and US markets which rose amid positivity about coronavirus vaccines. London’s biggest index was down 0.5 per cent in afternoon trading to 6,501 points. The FTSE 250 was [...]
Cold turkey: Ministers face pressure to scrap ‘rash’ Christmas relaxation of rules December 15, 2020 The government is facing mounting pressure to rethink its decision to relax coronavirus restrictions for five days over Christmas over fears it will lead to a third national lockdown. In their first joint editorial for more than 100 years, the British Medical Journal and Health Service Journal today said the government should U-turn on its [...]
Greenwich council backs down in government row over school closures December 15, 2020 The leader of a London borough has said he has “no choice” but to reverse a decision to close schools following legal threats from the government. Greenwich council leader Danny Thorpe said he “cannot agree that this is the correct choice for our schools”, but added: “I cannot justify the use of public funds to [...]
