No 10 insists government will stick to £4bn ‘triple lock’ pension pledge June 21, 2021 A spokesperson for the prime minister has vowed the government will not ditch the “triple lock” pension pledge, despite its £4bn price tag. Downing Street insisted that the pledge – part of the Conservative party manifesto in 2019 – will not be broken, after reports that government ministers were considering a temporary suspension to the [...]
The vaccine race is on: London borough winners and losers June 21, 2021 Richmond currently wears the crown as the London borough that has vaccinated the highest proportion of its adult population, according to the latest NHS data. The south west London borough has vaccinated 132,627 of its residents with a first dose – 85 per cent of its 156,399 population over the age of 16. Richmond also [...]
Sturgeon and Burnham row over Covid travel ban compensation heats up June 21, 2021 Scottish First minister Nicola Sturgeon and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham are engaged in a war of words over the Scottish Government’s decision to impose a Covid-19 travel ban on parts of north west England. Burnham continued his criticism of the restrictions, saying he felt people in his region had been “insulted” by Sturgeon’s approach and [...]
No 10 rejects claims the G7 summit left ‘unwelcome gift’ of spike in Covid cases June 21, 2021 A spokesperson for the prime minister has dismissed claims that the G7 summit is to blame for a surge in coronavirus cases in Cornwall. “Obviously we don’t accept this claim,” the spokesperson told the Downing Street lobby briefing. “Attendees going to the G7 were tested before arriving and throughout the summit, and we’re not aware [...]
Michelin starred Pied à Terre in Fitzrovia stops lunch due to ‘Brexit and Covid’ June 21, 2021 In another sign of the post-Covid recruitment crisis, one of London’s oldest Michelin-starred restaurants has closed its lunch service until further notice. Fitzrovia’s Pied à Terre says Brexit and Covid have impacted recruitment so badly it is no longer able to open for the whole day. The restaurant said it could not “protect the welfare [...]
Moderna set to expand Covid-19 vaccine production June 21, 2021 Moderna Inc is adding two new production lines at its coronavirus vaccine manufacturing plant, as it prepares to ramp up booster shot production. The US biotech firm’s plans will increase overall production capacity at its Massachusetts plant by 50 per cent, the Wall Street Journal first reported. The move indicates that Moderna expects the market [...]
Hong Kong races ahead of London and New York in bid to get bankers back in the office June 21, 2021 Hong Kong races ahead of London and New York in bid to get bankers back in the office
Covid booster jab programme to be set out ‘in due course’ June 21, 2021 Plans for a Covid booster jab programme will be set out “in due course”, after doctors and NHS trusts said a plan for an autumn rollout should start now. A government source told the BBC that “we cannot just carry on as we are, with an emergency response”. They said questions still needed answering, like [...]
Ministers ‘mulling dropping self-isolation rules for those with two jabs’ June 19, 2021 The government is considering making those who have had two Covid-19 vaccines exempt from forced isolation. The idea, which is currently being discussed in Westminster, would see those with two jabs take daily tests instead of isolate, Sky News reported. If made into policy, it would come in later in the year once the adult [...]
Surge testing to be deployed in Lambeth to combat Delta variant June 19, 2021 Surge testing will begin in Lambeth tomorrow amid a rise in cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19. Surge testing will start on Sunday in Clapham, Brixton, Stockwell, West Norwood and Vauxhall following a rise in confirmed cases of the variant first found in India. All the confirmed cases have been instructed to self-isolate and [...]