UK and EU should reach trade deal, says BoE governor Andrew Bailey October 8, 2020 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said he believed the UK and European Union should be able to reach a trade deal. “I do think it is in the interests of both sides – let’s be blunt – to get an agreement,” he said. Read more: BoE’s Andy Haldane warns against ‘Chicken Licken’ economic pessimism [...]
Liverpool mayor rejects plans to shut pubs and restaurants across north of England October 8, 2020 The mayor of Liverpool has come out against potential plans for any further restrictions across the north of England, such as pub and restaurant closures. Steve Rotheram called it “deeply disappointing” that new Covid-19 restrictions could be in place from Monday. “At the moment we have a patchwork of local measures across the country and [...]
Pubs and bars in row over late night levy as 10pm curfew sinks sales October 7, 2020 Pubs and bars have urged the government to scrap a tax on late night openings after it emerged many venues are still being charged despite being forced to close at 10pm. The late night levy is charged by some councils on venues selling alcohol between midnight and 6am as a way of paying for additional [...]
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 [...]
Coronavirus: Leading UK scientists urge government to adopt herd immunity approach October 7, 2020 A range of leading UK scientists have joined experts from around the world in calling for a herd immunity approach to the pandemic by forcing the vulnerable to shield while allowing others to return to normal life. Launched in the US, The Great Barrington Declaration urges governments across the globe to scrap lockdowns in favour [...]
City workers committed to the commute despite PM’s working from home u-turn, TfL data shows October 7, 2020 City workers committed to the commute despite Boris Johnson's working from home u-turn, according to new Transport for London
New: More than HALF of UK’s event companies expect bankruptcy by spring October 7, 2020 Stark new figures suggest that some 61 per cent of the UK’s events businesses expect to shut up shop within the next six months. The polling further suggests that 400,000 jobs will be lost in the industry by the end of 2020 without further government support. The survey was carried out by Feast It, the [...]
Workplace stress reaches ‘record height’ during pandemic October 7, 2020 2020 has been the most stressful year in history for the global workforce, according to a new report, as working from home and the threat of redundancy begin to take their toll on employees’ mental health. A survey of more than 12,000 employees, managers, and top executives across 11 countries found that the pandemic has [...]
West Ham install ‘Covid tunnels’ at training ground – could fans be next? October 7, 2020 Premier League club West Ham United have installed sanitisation tunnels at their academy training ground to protect staff and players. The tunnel operates initially as a temperature scanner before misting individuals with a controlled, odourless, water-based solution to disable bacteria and viruses. Taking just three to five seconds in total, the technology could in theory [...]
Bounce Back Loan scheme could cost the taxpayer up to £26bn October 7, 2020 The cost to the taxpayer of the government’s emergency loan scheme for struggling small businesses could be as much as £26bn, a new report has found. According to the National Audit Office (NAO), the cost of the government’s Bounce Back Loan scheme “has the potential to be very high” through a combination of firms being [...]