Exclusive: Liberal Democrats push government to set clear coronavirus loan scheme guidelines April 26, 2020 The Liberal Democrats have led a group of 25 cross-party MPs in demanding the government sets uniform lending requirements for its coronavirus business loan scheme in order to increase the speed at which banks approve loans. Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse wrote to business secretary Alok Sharma to urge him to “specify a minimum level [...]
Support for government’s coronavirus response falls for second straight week April 26, 2020 Public support for how the government is handling the coronavirus crisis has fallen for the second week in a row, according to a new poll. An Opinium poll out tonight showed that public approval for the government and its handling of the crisis was down to +21, after it was +31 two weeks ago. However, [...]
Angela Merkel seeks to impose financial transactions tax on EU countries April 26, 2020 Germany will seek to impose a financial transactions tax, minimum tax rates and an EU-wide healthcare system on member nations during its upcoming six-month presidency of the bloc. The revolving presidency of the Council of the European Union allows individual countries to set the EU’s agenda during the six months of their stint. German chancellor [...]
Coronavirus: UK has lowest single day death toll since March April 26, 2020 The UK has recorded another 413 deaths from coronavirus today – the lowest single day figure this month. The latest figure brings the country’s Covid-19 death toll, from hospital patients, to 20,732. National medical director of NHS England Stephen Powis said at today’s press briefing that the country was beginning to see drops in the [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Brexit trade talks: Will the deadline be extended over coronavirus? April 23, 2020 Despite coronavirus, the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator David Frost, Boris Johnson’s so-called sherpa, and his Brussels counterpart Michel Barnier recommenced trade negotiations on Monday via video conference. The week-long negotiating round is the first of three to be held over the next six weeks. The ultimate aim is to thrash out and ratify a UK-EU [...]
Coronavirus testing expanded to all essential workers April 23, 2020 All the UK’s essential workers will be able to request a coronavirus test from tomorrow as the government tries to hit its target of administering 100,000 tests by next Thursday. Health secretary Matt Hancock said at today’s press briefing that essential workers “will be able to book an appointment for themselves directly” on a government [...]
UK less than a quarter of the way to 100,000 coronavirus tests target April 23, 2020 The government has reached less than a quarter of target of 100,000 daily coronavirus tests target with just one week to go until the deadline. There were 22,814 Covid-19 tests administered in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday, which is well short of health secretary Matt Hancock’s target of 100,000 tests a day by the [...]
Pressure grows from backbench Tory MPs to ease coronavirus lockdown April 23, 2020 Backbench Conservative MPs have begun to speak out about the length of the UK’s coronavirus lockdown, warning that prolonged social distancing measures will have irreparable damage on the economy. Several Tory MPs raised concerns about the prolonged lockdown in a Westminster select committee hearing this morning, with one warning that many businesses are “on the [...]
