Covid rule-breakers ‘increasingly likely’ to be fined, says police chief January 12, 2021 Those caught breaking Covid rules are now “increasingly likely” to be fined by the police, London’s top officer has said. Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick said: “Most people are doing the right thing to keep each other safe, but sadly a small minority of people continue to flagrantly ignore the rules, for example by holding [...]
Sainsbury’s to enforce masks and shopping alone in Covid crackdown January 11, 2021 Sainsbury’s has become the second British supermarket to ban customers who refuse to wear a face mask amid a crackdown on Covid rulebreakers. The chain said shoppers will be prevented from entering without a face mask, while shopping in groups will also be banned. Sainsbury’s will put trained security guards at the front of stores [...]
Exclusive: Sadiq Khan rows with London Assembly over police recruitment numbers January 11, 2021 Sadiq Khan has been asked why he is planning to “spend money he does not have” to hire 6,000 new police officers by March, while the Metropolitan Police budget has a projected £1bn black hole over the next three years. The London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee has asked the mayor to explain why he [...]
Matt Hancock calls on more businesses to ban those not wearing face coverings January 11, 2021 The health secretary has urged businesses to follow Morrisons’ lead and ban mask flouters, as he refused to rule out tougher restrictions on the horizon. “I applaud the action Morrisons has taken today… That’s the right approach,” Matt Hancock told a Downing Street press briefing, adding: “I want to see all parts of society playing [...]
Morrisons bans mask flouters amid crackdown on Covid rulebreakers January 11, 2021 Morrisons has become the first British supermarket to enforce an immediate ban on customers who refuse to wear face coverings, as the Prime Minister today warned low lockdown compliance would lead to tougher restrictions. From today, shoppers who turn down masks offered by staff will be refused entry from Morrisons unless they are medically exempt. [...]
Lockdown: Tougher Covid restrictions on horizon, ministers warn January 11, 2021 England may face tighter lockdown restrictions amid scientists’ warnings that current measures are not doing enough to reduce Covid rates, the UK’s vaccine tsar has suggested. Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, today said current restrictions may be scaled up as he admitted he was “worried” at the current picture. “We’ve got to review everything [...]
Sir Keir Starmer: Don’t hit UK families with tax hikes January 10, 2021 Sir Keir Starmer has called for the government to reverse its decision last year to effectively raise council taxes, while casting Labour under his leadership as the “party of the family”. Starmer said the “importance of family hasn’t been talked about enough during this crisis” and that the country’s households deserve “far more from a [...]
Sadiq Khan to boost share of London council tax by nearly 10 per cent January 8, 2021 Sadiq Khan today announced that his share of council tax will increase by nearly 10 per cent from April in order to keep funding public transport services. Under the proposals, the average bill for Band D will increase by £2.63 a month – £31.59 over the whole year. Of the increase, £15 will go towards [...]
Met Police to crack down on Covid rulebreakers with fines for mask flouters January 6, 2021 Londoners breaching lockdown rules will face hefty police fines from today as part of a tougher crackdown Covid rulebreakers. The Metropolitan Police announced it will no longer “reason with” those not wearing masks in indoor public spaces, and will instead hand out fines more quickly. In a new hardline approach, the Met warned that people [...]
Warm hookah pipes give away breach of lockdown rules in London January 1, 2021 Police in London burst in on about 50 people smoking water pipes and playing loud music inside a cafe, a major breach of strict Covid-19 regulations banning any kind of socialising between people from different households. The group fled when the police arrived, according to Reuters, but officers who searched the venue in Wembley found [...]