High-flying City figures to be exempt from quarantine rules October 26, 2020 City dealmakers, hedge fund managers and executives flying into the UK are set to be exempt from the current 14-day quarantine period in a bid to “promote global Britain”, according to reports. Fresh guidelines being drawn up by the government would see the fortnight self-isolation period scrapped for senior bankers, hedge fund managers and executives [...]
Consumer confidence edges up on Eat Out to Help Out boost October 25, 2020 Consumer confidence continued to climb over the last three months from a record low at the height of the pandemic, after the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme provided a welcome boost to Britain’s ailing high streets. Deloitte’s quarterly Consumer Tracker found British shoppers’ confidence edged up one percentage point to minus 16 in [...]
Heathrow owners told to boost funding or risk nationalisation October 25, 2020 The airline watchdog has warned the owners of Heathrow that the airport may be nationalised if they do not provide fresh funding to help it weather the pandemic. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has said that without emergency cash from Heathrow’s shareholders, including the sovereign wealth funds of Singapore and Qatar, the airport may face [...]
‘Britain is better off with Biden’: Former chancellor backs Trump rival for President October 23, 2020 Boris Johnson’s former chancellor has become the first Conservative MP to lend his name to a presidential candidate by publicly backing Joe Biden to become US President. Sajid Javid today said “Britain is better off with Biden”, as he laid his case for the Democrat to take the reins from incumbent President Donald Trump while [...]
Criminal gangs steal £2bn through furlough fraud October 23, 2020 Criminal gangs have scooped up almost £2bn of government cash intended for furloughed workers, according to official tax estimates. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said that between 5 and 10 per cent of the £39bn sum handed out by chancellor Rishi Sunak to support workers during the pandemic had been claimed fraudulently. A report published [...]
MPs ‘seriously concerned’ that British businesses are not ready for Brexit October 23, 2020 The Treasury Committee has written to chancellor Rishi Sunak to express “serious concerns” that an eleventh-hour trade deal with the EU would not give businesses enough time to prepare for Brexit. The select committee said it was left with a “significant number of outstanding questions and issues”, following an evidence session around the UK’s preparedness [...]
Coronavirus: London to lose £10.9bn from tourist spending, Sadiq Khan warns October 23, 2020 London is set to miss out on £10.9bn from a drop in tourist spending as a result of the coronavirus crisis, Sadiq Khan has warned, as footfall in the capital remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Overseas tourists will spend £7.4bn less on goods and services in London this year, while domestic tourists will spend £3.5bn [...]
UK signs £15bn free trade deal with Japan October 23, 2020 Britain has officially signed a trade deal with Japan, marking a major milestone in Brexit negotiations as the UK secured its first agreement as an independent trading nation. The British embassy in Tokyo today announced it has formed the UK–Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was agreed in principle last month. The government said [...]
Ghislaine Maxwell denies knowledge of sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein, court transcripts show October 22, 2020 Ghislaine Maxwell said she never witnessed “inappropriate underage activities” by Jeffrey Epstein, according to unsealed court documents from a 2016 deposition that the British socialite fought to keep secret. The deposition was made in a now-settled civil defamation lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, who has said Epstein kept her as a “sex slave” with Maxwell’s [...]
Whisky, stilton and pork pies to be protected in post-Brexit food regulations October 22, 2020 The government today set out new legislation to guarantee the authenticity and origin of traditional British foods such as stilton, pork pies and Scotch whisky at the end of the Brexit transition period. Negotiations between the UK and EU are still ongoing, with time running thin for a trade deal with the bloc before Britain [...]
