Brexit: Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen to hold summit on Monday June 11, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will hold a virtual meeting on Monday to discuss the trajectory of post-Brexit trade negotiations. Joining the pair will be President of the European Council Charles Michel and EU Parliament President David Sassoli. The UK and EU have also agreed to an “intensified [...]
Government launches review into false Post Office fraud claims June 11, 2020 The government has launched a review into the Fujitsu Horizon IT system that caused Post Office branch mangers to be falsely accused of fraud. Business minister Paul Scully confirmed yesterday that there would be a review of “the failings that occurred at Post Office Ltd” in the scandal. More than 550 Post Office branch mangers [...]
Coronavirus deaths in the UK rise by 286 June 9, 2020 The UK’s death toll from coronavirus has risen by 286, it was announced today. Almost 130 of those deaths occurred in hospital after testing positive for the virus, NHS England said this afternoon. For overall deaths, data from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the toll rose by 286 as of 5pm [...]
IP lock-out: Is Britain handing the EU the keys to a billion-pound industry? June 8, 2020 We are getting close to crunch point in the Brexit negotiations. Last week saw the culmination of the final round of talks between the EU and the UK ahead of the 30 June deadline to agree an extension to the transition period. Given the glacial progress so far, a sudden breakthrough appears highly unlikely, with [...]
Boris Johnson moves to ease lockdown faster in face of mass job losses June 7, 2020 Boris Johnson is set to accelerate the speed of easing the coronavirus lockdown, after warnings of impending mass unemployment. Ministers have drawn up plans to bring Britain back to something resembling normal life by July, in order to ensure industries benefit from summer trading. The new plans will see the government allow planning restrictions to [...]
Black Lives Matter: Which business leaders have spoken out after George Floyd’s death? June 4, 2020 Business leaders across industries are speaking out about racial inequality in the wake of George Floyd’s death that sparked Black Lives Matters protests in cities across the US. Floyd, an unarmed African American man, was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis last week. Bosses of some of the world’s most successful firms, including [...]
Softbank launches $100m minorities startup fund in the wake of George Floyd protests June 4, 2020 Softbank has launched a new startup fund to invest in companies led by “people of colour” in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd. The Japanese technology giant announced the $100m (£80m) Opportunity Growth Fund as other executives of firms speak out over racial inequality. Chief executive Masayoshi Son wrote on Twitter [...]
Twitter’s feud with Trump could be a savvy business move June 3, 2020 The social media founders promised utopias, where speech would be democratised and each of us would be given our voice in the public square. Utopias, however, have always been tricky. The term was coined by Thomas More in his 1516 work of the same name, and it was a pun that More’s learned readers would [...]
Facebook launches new tool to help users hide old posts June 2, 2020 Facebook has today launched a new tool designed to help users hide old posts that could harm their job prospects. The new privacy tool, labelled Manage Activity, will allow Facebook users to either hide certain posts from public view and store them in an archive or remove them from the site completely. “Whether you’re entering [...]
Britain must get creative to shake off pandemic blues June 2, 2020 On Sunday 10th May, Boris Johnson announced the first tentative steps to reopen the British economy after weeks of being in the deep freeze. The heavily caveated plan has led the Prime Minister to “…believe we can be stronger and better than ever before. More resilient, more innovative, more economically dynamic…” Read more: London needs its hospitality [...]