The government’s warning to the BBC that the broadcaster risks losing public confidence amid accusations of political bias during the coronavirus crisis is ringing hollow. Culture secretary Oliver Dowden’s letter to the BBC’s director-general Lord Tony Hall urges him to “uphold the highest standards in relation to integrity and impartiality” while warning “any damage” to […]
The UK must “immediately” start building customs posts for checks on goods to Northern Ireland the EU has said, amid warnings that fishing rights could scupper Brexit talks and lead to their collapse. The European Commission said the “urgent” construction of the facilities must begin now in order to be ready for use on January […]
Five care home workers who raised concerns about PPE shortages and understaffing have lost their jobs in the last two weeks, according to a charity set up to protect whistleblowers. Compassion in Care founder Eileen Chubb said the five carers are considering legal action having been dismissed from their employment for breaching confidentiality after raising […]
The UK government is set to scrap sales tax on essential protective equipment as it seeks to help reduce the expenses of non-profit organisations such as care homes, charities, as well as businesses. On Thursday, the Ministry of Finance said the sales tax cut would save more than 100 million pounds for those buying medical […]
A few short weeks into coronavirus restrictions, people are getting restless. Apart from the devastating economic effect of the lockdown, its impact on mental health, victims of domestic abuse, and people suffering from non-COVID19 illnesses have been devastating. Already, authorities in many European countries have begun easing restrictions, and in the UK, too, experts are […]
Flag carrier British Airways Public Limited Company is set to lay off thousands of its employees amid the huge drop in air travel demand over fears of the coronavirus outbreak. The company revealed in a letter to the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) Union on Tuesday that it would let go of 1,130 flight captains […]
The nation stood for a minute’s silence at 11am this morning (Tuesday) to honour the key workers who lost their lives in the fight against the coronavirus. Last night the national broadcaster exposed the government’s abject failings to adequately prepare the country for a pandemic, specifically their continued failure to arm key workers with adequate […]
The UK government is offering government-backed rescue loans to small businesses that took a beating from the global pandemic. The plan came after calls on the government to revamp its emergency loan scheme following denied support for thousands of cash-starved firms. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said small businesses are guaranteed of bounce-back loans with full backing […]
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned social distancing measures put in place to fight the coronavirus pandemic could extend into 2021. Sturgeon said a return to “the normal life that people knew” was “not on the cards in the near future” during the Scottish government’s daily press briefing in Edinburgh. The first minister published […]
Amid fears that the true death toll of coronavirus patients remains unclear, the ONS COVID-19 figures go some way toward revealing the true picture. Care staff workers say the actual numbers may be far higher. According to Tuesday’s ONS statistics, the number of people who died from the novel coronavirus in the week leading up […]