Business bodies slam government’s TfL bailout conditions as a ‘mockery’ October 21, 2020 London business bodies have slammed the government’s demands for a potential bailout for Transport for London (TfL) as a “mockery”, accusing ministers of “railroading” policy through while the transport network is on its knees during the pandemic. Ministers last night threatened to take direct control of TfL unless London mayor Sadiq Khan accepts a raft [...]
Back to Business: How a Dalston cafe-owner stayed afloat October 21, 2020 As coronavirus restrictions continue to squeeze the hospitality sector, we asked Dalston’s Snackbar owner Freddie Janssen how she stayed afloat and got back to business. Who are you and what do you do? I’m Freddie Janssen, owner of Snackbar in Dalston. It’s a bright and buzzy little neighbourhood cafe serving good coffee and quality comfort [...]
Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin slams lockdown measures as ‘total chaos’ after pub chain sinks to loss October 16, 2020 JD Wetherspoon shares sank more than 13 per cent this morning as the pub chain swung to a loss for the first time since 1984 during the pandemic. Chairman Tim Martin slammed recent lockdown measures as “total chaos”, after months of closures during the coronavirus crisis hammered the pub group’s sales and revenue. The results [...]
Act now to close the education gap — or our economy will pay the cost for years to come October 12, 2020 If there were ever any doubt about the full cost of closing schools, the answer is now clear. It is a vast price — and one that will have to be paid by the nation on both a human and a financial level for many, many years to come. Alongside the mounting national debt being [...]
The answer to Britain’s housing crisis is more houses – not risky mortgages October 11, 2020 Housing experts were left scratching their heads this week after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his flagship policy to get young people on the housing ladder: bigger mortgages. Johnson plans to turn “generation rent” into “generation buy” by offering long-term, fixed-rate mortgages of up to 95 per cent of the value of the home. He [...]
The pensions triple-lock is unjustifiable in normal times — in the Covid era, it is utterly unconscionable October 9, 2020 Imagine you a Conservative chancellor trying to steer the economy through the midst of the worst pandemic in modern history. You have done your best to protect jobs and support struggling businesses in the face of drastic lockdown restrictions, while tax receipts shrivelled and the healthcare bill has ballooned beyond all previous measures. Despite your [...]
The arts are not an optional extra, they are the life and soul of our nation October 8, 2020 If at first you don’t succeed, retrain and move into a more viable vocation. That was the advice of the chancellor this week with regards to the impossible position faced by artists, musicians and actors who have seen their livelihoods decimated since the start of the Covid crisis. ITV may have later clarified that Rishi Sunak’s [...]
UK examining how to reduce travel quarantine period using tests October 7, 2020 The UK is urgently looking into ways to reduce the 14-day travel quarantine period which applies to some passengers arriving in the country, transport secretary Grant Shapps said. Shapps said that a mixture of Covid-19 testing and self-isolation was promising, and announced the formation of a Global Travel Taskforce to open up international travel, which [...]
In full: PM Boris Johnson’s Tory conference speech in full October 6, 2020 Boris Johnson took the stage Tuesday for the Tories’ virtual party conference, announcing policies on 1:1 teaching and low-deposit mortgages, but also promising to unleash the private sector. Here’s the text in full. Good morning conference, I want to begin by thanking you for everything you did at the election, pounding the streets in the [...]
In full: Rishi Sunak’s virtual Conservative conference speech October 5, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak today addressed Conservative virtual conference, pledging to support entrepreneurs but warning of difficult times ahead. Here’s the full speech: “Politics is a team sport” “Being appointed Chancellor in February this year was an immense honour. Even though my first conference speech as Chancellor isn’t quite how I expected it to be, it [...]