City up in arms over looming imposition of plan B to curb Omicron December 9, 2021 City bigwigs today are up in arms over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s stricter measures to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. Speaking to City A.M. in the Square Mile’s drinking hole, Leadenhall Market, one insurance broker said “at some point we’ve got to learn to live with it”. “Enough is enough,” another City worker [...]
Tory outrage grows over Boris Johnson hastily triggering Covid Plan B amid Christmas party scandal December 9, 2021 The Prime Minister is this morning facing anger from Tory MPs after he hastily triggered a switch to his Plan B for coronavirus restrictions to tackle the Omicron variant as Downing Street was engulfed in a crisis over allegations of a rule-breaking Christmas party. Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday that work-from-home guidance will return, Covid [...]
Omicron hit to economy: New Covid restrictions may cost businesses £4bn in December December 9, 2021 The UK economy should brace itself for a £4 bn a month hit and see taxpayers foot the bill for more emergency support as new Covid restrictions to clamp down on the spread of the Omicron variant come into force, a think tank has warned. The right-wing Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said Plan B [...]
Sunak’s tax policy is trying to straddle two worlds and failing on both fronts December 9, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak seems to be in the midst of an identity crisis. After taking drastic measures to put the public finances on a sustainable footing in the wake of the pandemic, by raising the tax burden, he now wants to present himself as a tax cutting Tory. The problem is, he can’t be both. [...]
The stages of a Downing Street scandal: first comes anger, then disillusionment December 9, 2021 There is a weary exhaustion to the fall-out of the cheese and wine, secret santa filled Christmas party at Downing Street last year, while many of us were in Tier 3 lockdown. It arrived in a week when we should have been talking about the ghost children missing from our schools, the people who were [...]
A quarter of Brits are struggling with the ‘new normal’ December 9, 2021 New data released today reveals that nearly one in four Brits feels negatively about the so-called “new normal”.
Plan B ‘huge blow’ for city centre pubs as night clubs question timing of Covid passports December 8, 2021 Pubs and bars have called the introduction of Plan B Covid restrictions a “huge blow” for the sector, which was hoping to recoup its losses this Christmas. “Make no mistake, this is a huge blow for our sector as it further undermines consumer confidence and is devastating for pubs based near offices and in town [...]
Johnson tells people to work from home as he imposes tougher Covid restrictions December 8, 2021 Boris Johnson has imposed stricter Covid restrictions on England in light of growing cases of the more transmissible Omicron variant, while also calling for a “national conversation” about mandatory vaccinations. From Monday next week, the government will advise people to work from home if they can and will make face masks mandatory in most public [...]
Goldman Sachs: Bank of England to hold off on hiking rates until February December 8, 2021 Goldman Sachs have reined in their bet on the Bank of England hiking interest rates at their next meeting due to uncertainty over the trajectory of the Omicron variant. The Wall Street giant had previously expected the Bank to raise rates 15 basis points at its next meeting of rate setters on 16 December. However, [...]
Allegra Stratton quits government after joking about illegal Number 10 party December 8, 2021 Allegra Stratton has quit government, after she was caught out joking about an illegal Number 10 party last year. A tearful Stratton, who used to work in Downing Street but was more recently working for Cop26 president Alok Sharma, said she would “regret the remarks for the rest of my days”. ITV released a video [...]