Coronavirus: Hospitality industry to take legal action over local lockdowns October 12, 2020 Britain’s hospitality industry is set to take legal action against new lockdown restrictions around the country that it said will have “catastrophic” consequences for the sector. The industry’s biggest trade bodies will today hand Downing Street a legal challenge to the emergency legislation, as the government prepares to announce a new three-tier system that will [...]
Government set to unveil new UK coronavirus restrictions October 12, 2020 The UK government is today expected to announce a raft of new restrictions to tackle the growing second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister will unveil a three-tier system designed to simplify the UK’s local lockdown restrictions. Leaders from the Liverpool City Region said last night that it will be placed in the [...]
Iain Dale reveals his top 10 most powerful figures in UK politics October 10, 2020 Radio personality Iain Dale will next week reveal his top 100 most powerful people in UK politics, with City A.M. able to reveal today who made the top 10. The list, which will be released in full in next week’s edition of The Mace magazine, contains Westminster’s most important “movers, shakers and rule-breakers”, according to [...]
Business bodies urge chancellor to ‘go further’ with new furlough scheme October 9, 2020 Businesses in the hospitality sector have said Rishi Sunak’s support package “must go further” to avoid wide-scale job losses, after the chancellor today unveiled a new furlough scheme for businesses facing local lockdowns. Sunak today said the government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to businesses forced to shutter under fresh lockdown measures. Firms [...]
Rishi Sunak extends furlough scheme for businesses facing lockdown October 9, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the furlough scheme for six months for businesses across the UK required to close under local lockdowns, as further restrictions loom ahead for parts of England. Sunak today said the government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to businesses forced to shutter under fresh lockdown measures. Firms whose premises [...]
Peacocks and Jaeger owner files for administration, putting 24,000 jobs at risk October 9, 2020 Around 24,000 jobs are on the line as Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EMW) group, the owner of retailers Peacocks and Jaeger, has filed a notice to appoint administrators. Bosses wrote to employees this morning warning them that lockdowns across the country had battered sales, forcing the company to review the future of its business. Steve Simpson, [...]
Rishi Sunak set to announce furlough extension in local lockdown areas October 9, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is set to announce a limited extension to the furlough scheme today as the government faces mounting criticism over fresh local lockdown restrictions across the country. Sunak will outline new support for people and businesses in England facing strict new measures set to come into force next week, including the closure of [...]
FTSE 100 rises despite UK GDP missing expectations October 9, 2020 The FTSE 100 rose at the open despite the UK economy growing less than expected in August, as traders continued to mull the prospect of more US fiscal stimulus. London’s blue-chip index climbed 0.5 per cent to 6,009 points. The FTSE 250, made up of slightly smaller companies, rose 0.3 per cent. Asian markets were [...]
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 [...]
BoE gives banks all-clear but warns them to keep up support October 8, 2020 The Bank of England has warned lenders that reducing their support to households and businesses “would be costly” for the economy and for banks themselves. It came as the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) said the UK’s lenders were strong enough to weather the rest of the coronavirus storm – even if unemployment soared to [...]