Former chancellor Lord Alistair Darling backs Sunak’s VAT cut plans June 22, 2020 Former chancellor Lord Alistair Darling has backed government plans to cut VAT in a bid to boost the economy, adding that the coronavirus crisis will result in an “even more profound shock” to the UK than the 2008 financial crisis. In a foreword to a new Policy Exchange report, Darling expressed his support for current [...]
Government trials new ‘no-swab’ saliva test for coronavirus June 22, 2020 A new “no-swab” coronavirus test using patients’ saliva is set to be piloted in Southampton starting this week, the government has announced. More than 14,000 GP staff, essential workers and university staff will participate in the first phase of the trial, which they will be able to complete at home using their own saliva, the [...]
Pubs and restaurants may be forced to keep register of all guests June 21, 2020 Bars, pubs and restaurants in the UK may be forced to keep a record of all visitors under new plans to reopen the hospitality industry, the health secretary said this morning. Matt Hancock told Nick Robinson on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that forcing venues to record customers’ personal details to assist track and trace [...]
Coronavirus deaths in the UK rise by 43 June 21, 2020 A further 43 people have died in the UK after contracting coronavirus, taking the total number of deaths to 42,632. The increase, announced today by the Department of Health (DoH), includes the number of people who have died after testing positive for Covid-19 in hospitals, care homes and the wider community as of 5pm on [...]
Sunak mulls VAT cut to boost economy after lockdown June 21, 2020 Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering cutting VAT rates to provide a much-needed boost to the economy after months of lockdown. The chancellor has ordered Treasury officials to draw up plans to reduce the sales tax, including a cut in the headline rate, the Sunday Times reported. Other proposals being considered include cutting employers’ national insurance, [...]
Apple says government had not told it about coronavirus app plans June 19, 2020 Apple has said that it was not aware that the UK was developing an NHS contact tracing app using technology the firm built with Google. Yesterday the government announced that it was dropping its own app in favour of using the Apple/Google technology, which is already in use in countries such as Germany. However, speaking [...]
UK coronavirus death toll rises by 173 to 42,461 June 19, 2020 The death toll from confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK rose by 173 to 42,461, health officials said on Friday. reproduction number for England fell to 0.7-0.9, bringing it into line with the rest of the UK, the government said on Friday, as it also published details of how quickly the disease was shrinking [...]
Boris Johnson says time for national lockdowns is over June 19, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the time for using national lockdowns to control the coronavirus pandemic had passed, adding that local measures could now be used instead. “We are now moving into a different phase”, he said, “”rather than going back to the national lockdown”. However, he warned that the economic cost of [...]
UK to relax quarantine rules for some countries in July June 19, 2020 The government is planning on relaxing its quarantine rules for travellers coming to the UK from some countries in early July. The BBC reported that the government is hoping to make an announcement on 29 June that it has secured “travel corridors” with a number of countries. Discussions are currently still continuing between UK officials [...]
Coronavirus present in Italy in December, sewage study confirms June 19, 2020 A study has found traces of the new coronavirus disease in sewage in Italy from December, suggesting the virus was already spreading in Italy before China declared its first cases. Scientists studying wastewater found that samples taken from Milan and Turin on 18 December already contained the virus. The findings add to a growing body [...]