The Queen: “If we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome” “The Queen delivered a historic rallying cry to the British public tonight, urging them to come together in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak in a poignant television address. Speaking from Windsor Castle, where the 93-year-old monarch is isolating with Prince Philip, she […]
Raab unveils £75 million repatriation plan “Dominic Raab today unveiled a massive £75 million repatriation plan to bring home ‘tens of thousands’ of Britons stranded abroad because of the coronavirus crisis. The Foreign Secretary said the UK government will now step in to provide ‘special charter flights’ from parts of the world where commercial flights […]
Deputy Chief Medical Officer says lockdown will be lifted gradually – and that it will take at least six months to get back to normal “Life in Britain will not return to normal for six months, the public were warned yesterday, as ministers began preparing the country for an extended period of lockdown. Jenny Harries, the […]
Prime Minister to write to every household to help boost lockdown “At an anticipated cost of £5.8 million, the letters will land on 30 million doorsteps along with a leaflet spelling out the Government’s advice following much public confusion…The letters and leaflets are the latest in a public information campaign from No 10 to convince […]
Virus strikes at heart of Downing Street “The three men leading the nation’s fight against coronavirus have all gone into self-isolation after the disease reached the heart of government. Boris Johnson will work alone at No 11 Downing Street for the next week and will hold meetings by video link after contracting the virus, the […]
Sunak reveals coronavirus bailout for self-employed… but they must wait until June “Rishi Sunak has announced a £9 billion bailout for nearly 4 million self-employed workers hit by the coronavirus outbreak. The chancellor said that the self-employed would be able to claim up to £2,500 a month in the form of a government grant over […]
Chancellor to help one in three self-employed people amid pushback over more big bailouts “One in three self-employed workers are in line to have the Government pay their wages amid the coronavirus crisis after Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, warned that all five million could not expect “blanket cash subsidies”. On Thursday, Mr Sunak will announce an […]
Police to use ‘persuasion rather than punishment’ to enforce new rules… “Police officers are to “persuade, cajole, negotiate and advise” the public to follow lockdown restrictions, as police leaders said they did not want to be forced to take more draconian measures. Hundreds of thousands of people continued to travel to work on Tuesday with the […]
Johnson orders lockdown of Britain “Boris Johnson declared a “moment of national emergency” last night as he finally imposed a near full lockdown of Britain to protect against the spread of coronavirus. Police will enforce new quarantine rules under which people will be allowed to leave their home only for essential supplies, one form of […]
Johnson threatens curfew to impose social distancing… “Curfews and travel bans will be imposed to tackle coronavirus if Britons do not start acting responsibly, Boris Johnson has warned. The prime minister said yesterday that the government was considering introducing tougher restrictions if guidelines on social distancing were not followed after huge numbers flocked to parks, beaches and markets […]
Coronavirus 1) Stay away this Mother’s Day, says Johnson “Boris Johnson will today urge Britons to celebrate Mother’s Day remotely by using video calls – as he admits the NHS is on the brink of being ‘overwhelmed’ by the coronavirus outbreak. The Prime Minister’s warning that ‘the numbers are very stark and they are accelerating’ […]
Sunak steps in to save workers “Millions of workers facing layoffs will have their wages paid by the government for at least three months in the latest multibillion-pound injection to stop the economy from collapsing. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, told companies that the state would pay 80 per cent of wages up to £2,500 a month […]
Wage boost and tax cuts for workers hit by coronavirus… “Boris Johnson is expected to reveal an unprecedented package of wage subsidies and tax cuts today after he pledged to “stand by the workers of this country”. Cuts to employers’ national insurance and the basic rate of income tax and a plan to subsidise people’s wages […]
Coronavirus 1) Schools to shut from Friday as crisis grows “Schools across the UK will close from Friday as the government ramps up efforts to curtail the spread of coronavirus. Announcing the decision Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, said there would be exceptions for children of “key workers” in the National Health Service and police, […]
Coronavirus 1) Sunak announces £350 billion rescue package for UK economy “Rishi Sunak unveiled an astonishing £350billion rescue package yesterday to try to stave off economic disaster. With coronavirus threatening to wipe out entire industries, struggling firms will be able to tap low-interest loans from a new fund worth £330billion. Another £20billion will pay for […]