OECD boss: Coronavirus crash will not be as bad as Great Depression April 19, 2020 The coronavirus economic downturn will be “very bad”, but not as bad as the Great Depression despite fears to the contrary, according to the head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the OECD, said today that the impending global economic crash will not last for four years like [...]
UK considers three-stage ‘traffic light’ plan to exit coronavirus lockdown April 19, 2020 Michael Gove has poured cold water on reports that schools and some shops could be re-opened by next month in an easing of the UK’s coronavirus lockdown restrictions. When asked about a government report first leaked to Buzzfeed about the UK’s three-stage lockdown exit plan, Gove said it was not correct that schools could be [...]
Michael Gove hits out at reports Boris Johnson skipped coronavirus meetings April 19, 2020 Senior minister Michael Gove has defended Boris Johnson’s efforts during the coronavirus crisis after an explosive report claimed the Prime Minister missed a series of coronavirus Cobra meetings. The Sunday Times reported today that Johnson missed five of the crisis meetings in late January and early February when the coronavirus first began to spread outside [...]
Rishi Sunak expands coronavirus loan scheme to include all UK businesses April 16, 2020 The government has expanded its £330bn coronavirus loan scheme to cover all financially viable UK businesses regardless of size. The Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loans Scheme (CLBILS) will allow companies with a turnover of more than £45 million to apply for up to £25 million of finance. Firms with a turnover of more than £250 [...]
UK needs coronavirus testing and tracing ‘command centre’ to beat virus April 16, 2020 The UK must create a 24/7 coronavirus testing and tracing “command centre” to exit its Covid-19 lockdown, according to a new report. A study from right-leaning think tank Policy Exchange said the command centre should be created “to oversee and implement a national testing and tracing strategy for hunting down and defeating Covid-19”. The report [...]
UK extends coronavirus lockdown for at least three more weeks April 16, 2020 The UK will remain in coronavirus lockdown for at least the next three weeks, after today’s meeting of the government’s top scientific body. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said at today’s press briefing that “the advice from Sage (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) is that relaxing any of the [social distancing] measures in place would risk [...]
Coronavirus: Westminster to return through ‘virtual parliament’ April 16, 2020 Parliament is set to resume next week, with MPs allowed to quiz ministers through the video conference app Zoom. The House of Commons Commission gave approval today for up to 120 MPs to take be on video conference at a time, with a further 50 allowed to sit in the House of Commons under social [...]
UK would ‘say no’ to EU request for extension of Brexit trade talks April 16, 2020 The UK will refuse any request for a Brexit trade deal extension by the EU, according to the Prime Minister’s official spokesman. On a call to journalists today, the spokesman reiterated the governmnt’s position, saying that an extension to the 31 December deadline would hamper the UK’s longterm response to the coronavirus crisis. UK chief [...]
First of UK ventilators wins approval as private sector ramps up production April 16, 2020 Regulatory approval has been granted for thousands of new ventilators through the government’s private sector call to arms. Penlon’s Prima ES02 model is the first to be green lit by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as a part of the “Ventilator Challenge”, a month after the rallying cry was issued. The government has [...]
IMF: UK must extend Brexit trade deal deadline during coronavirus April 16, 2020 The UK must move to extend its Brexit trade deal deadline while the global economy faces coronavirus uncertainty, according to the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). UK chief negotiator David Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier confirmed yesterday that trade talks will re-commence next week, without any extension to the 31 December [...]
