Senior Tory figures trying to oust mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey June 9, 2020 Senior Conservative party figures are reportedly trying to replace London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey with former chancellor Sajid Javid for next year’s election. Bailey trailed mayor of London Sadiq Khan by 25 per cent in March polling before the election, originally scheduled for May, was postponed to next year due to the coronavirus outbreak. Khan [...]
Coronavirus: Government confirms non-essential retail will open on 15 June June 9, 2020 Business secretary Alok Sharma has confirmed that England’s non-essential retail shops can open next Monday, while also pouring cold water on speculation that pubs and restaurant will open this month. Sharma said today that retail shops that open must comply to the government’s “Covid safe” guidelines or face potential fines. “Shops should reopen once they’re [...]
TfL set to reopen its major construction projects June 9, 2020 Construction work is set to restart on major Transport for London (TfL) projects after months of inactivity. TfL announced today that it would organise a “phased restart” of its 300 sites that it shut down during the coronavirus lockdown. Key projects that will restart include the Bank station upgrade and the Northern Line extension. The [...]
Brexit: Minister says there is no point in an ’11th hour’ UK-EU trade deal June 9, 2020 Cabinet Office minister Penny Mordaunt has told MPs that there is no point doing an “11th hour” Brexit trade deal and that the EU needs to speed up negotiations. Mordaunt – who was stepping in for defacto Brexit minister Michael Gove in the House of Commons today – said that businesses needed enough time to [...]
Coronavirus unemployment could take seven years to rebound, says think tank June 9, 2020 Levels of unemployment could take seven years to be restored to pre-coronavirus levels, according to a leading UK think tank. Torsten Bell, chief executive at The Resolution Foundation, said today there had been “way too much talk of a v-shaped [economic] recovery” and that based on historical precedents it will take almost a decade for [...]
Coronavirus: New fund launched to create apprenticeships in London June 9, 2020 A new fund has been launched by City Hall and a leading London think tank to provide retraining opportunities to London businesses affected by coronavirus. The London Progression Collaboration – run by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Greater London Authority – launched the fund today, with £500,000 already pledged by companies [...]
Sadiq Khan accused of ‘not looking after coppers’ in London protests June 8, 2020 London’s police union has slammed Sadiq Khan’s response to the weekend’s protests, after more than 30 police officers were injured. Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh accused Khan of not looking after police officers during the demonstrations and that he was “very disappointed” by the mayor’s response. Thousands attended mostly peaceful protests over the weekend [...]
British public support scrapping Sunday trading laws, says new poll June 8, 2020 The government’s plan to allow super markets in England and Wales to open for longer on Sundays has the public’s backing, according to new polling. A YouGov poll released today showed that 48 per cent of people supported the change, with 31 per cent opposing and 21 per cent unsure. Boris Johnson is poised to [...]
Number 10 pours cold water on speculation UK pubs will open on 22 June June 8, 2020 Downing Street has poured cold water on reports that parts of the hospitality industry will be re-opened two weeks ahead of schedule on 22 June. Reports in the Financial Times and The Times today said ministers were looking at re-opening the sector on 22 June for venues that can serve patrons in outdoor spaces. However, [...]
Sir Keir Starmer not supportive of Bristol statue being pulled down by protesters June 8, 2020 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said it was “completely wrong” for protesters to bring down a Bristol statue of a slave trader yesterday, but that the ornament should have been brought down lawfully instead. Starmer said the statue of Edward Colston had “no place in 21st century Britain”, but that the statue “should have [...]
