Debate: Have young people been hardest hit by lockdown? September 15, 2020 Last week, politicians split opinion by suggesting that young people were partly to blame for the sharp rise in coronavirus cases. It led to cries that young people have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus lockdown – while others think this is not the case. For the City A.M. debate, Sean Farrington of tech [...]
Labour leader Keir Starmer in self-isolation ahead of key Brexit debate September 14, 2020 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has gone into self-isolation after a member of his household showed Covid-19 symptoms. “The member of his household has now had a test,” a Labour spokeswoman said. “In line with National Health Service guidelines, Keir will self-isolate while awaiting the results of the test and further advice from medical professionals.” [...]
Businesses have done a good job as emergency policy makers – but they must not get complacent September 14, 2020 Government policy and regulation must at times play catch-up with reality. In recent times, this has been especially prevalent with the social and digital media giants, who have enjoyed free rein while policy makers struggle to work out how to deal with the potential harms they bring. But if we thought that the rise and [...]
Coronavirus: Rule of six comes into effect as UK tightens lockdown September 14, 2020 New laws banning social gatherings of more than six people came into effect this morning as the government tightens lockdown measures amid a rise in coronavirus cases. The regulations — dubbed the rule of six — apply to indoors and outdoors gatherings in England and Scotland, but only indoors in Wales. In England the restrictions [...]
UK signs €1.4bn deal for Valneva coronavirus vaccine September 14, 2020 The UK government has inked a €1.4bn (£1.3bn) deal to secure up to 190m doses of a coronavirus vaccine being developed by French biotech firm Valneva. Under the terms of the deal, Valneva will supply the government with 60m doses in the second half of 2021 at a cost of €470m. The UK then has [...]
Supporting London businesses with new Covid compliant scheme September 14, 2020 Without a doubt, food and retail premises in central London have suffered hugely during the Covid-19 pandemic. Understandably, customer facing businesses like these have been slower to reopen because of reduced footfall and consumer concerns over coronavirus transmission. But with positive and supportive initiatives, like the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, the capital [...]
AstraZeneca given green light to resume Covid-19 vaccine trials September 12, 2020 AstraZeneca is set to continue its clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine in the UK after receiving the green light from safety watchdogs, it said on Saturday. The trials of one of the most developed Covid-19 vaccines was suspended earlier in the week following a report of dangerous side effects. However, safety reviewers have recommended [...]
No-deal Brexit would hurt UK more than EU, says German finance minister September 12, 2020 A no-deal Brexit would do more damage to the UK economy than the European Union’s, according to the German finance minister. Speaking on Saturday following a meeting of 27 EU finance ministers in Berlin, Olaf Scholz said there would be “significant consequences” for Britain. “My assessment is that an unregulated situation would have very significant [...]
US budget deficit hits record $3tn due to coronavirus spending September 12, 2020 The US budget deficit has reached a record high after topping $3tn (£2.3tn) as the government’s mass spending on coronavirus relief continues. The treasury department said it spent more than $6tn in the first 11 months of its financial year, which included $2tn on Covid-19 programmes. It means the figure outpaces the $3tn it took [...]
Coronavirus: Fears of second wave mount as R rate rises above one September 11, 2020 Fears of a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections mounted today after official data showed the rate of transmission has risen above the critical level. The reproduction rate — known as R — is now between 1.0 and 1.2, according to the Government Office for Science. It marks an increase on last week, when the [...]