Editorial: London, like Josef K, awaits its sentence November 24, 2020 On Thursday, we will find out whether the death warrant for thousands of London’s businesses, mainly in hospitality, will be signed. But, like Josef K in Kafka’s Trial, those businesses are left clueless of what their future depends upon. London will enter Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 of the new restrictions next week. [...]
New Covid rules are a ‘disaster’ for hospitality, based on non-existent data, says D&D London boss November 24, 2020 The head of restaurant group D&D London has slammed the new government Covid restrictions, calling them a “disaster” and a “kick in the teeth” for the hospitality sector. Des Gunewardena writes in an exclusive column for Morning Wire that the government is failing to back up its new regulations, which place tough restrictions on bars [...]
The government is ignoring Covid science and hospitality is paying the price, says D&D boss November 24, 2020 Des Gunewardena is Chairman and CEO of D&D London, the restaurant group behind brands including Bluebird, Angler, 14 Hills and Coq d’Argent. Here he lays out where the government has failed the hospitality sector and gives a plan for how it could still salvage something from the most important month of the year. So we’ve finally [...]
Covid-19: Travel quarantine restrictions to be relaxed in time for Christmas November 24, 2020 Transport secretary Grant Shapps has scrapped blanket travel quarantine restrictions in time for Christmas so that people can travel to high-risk "red list" countries to visit relatives.
Love rats: London’s rodent population booms as lockdown silences urban areas November 24, 2020 Quietened urban areas as a result of coronavirus restrictions have helped the population of rats boom by 30 million in one year
Rishi Sunak’s spending review: Three things to look out for November 24, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak is no stranger to the House of Commons despatch box, having delivered numerous mini-budgets since March. But tomorrow he will lay out comprehensive spending plans for the 2021-22 financial year in one of his biggest announcements yet. Although it will not cover a three-year period, as originally planned, it will show the [...]
Royal Mail awarded contract to deliver and collect Covid-19 home testing kits November 24, 2020 Royal Mail has been awarded a new contract to deliver and collect coronavirus home testing kits seven days a week. The move comes as ministers prepare to ramp up testing capacity in the coming week, part of Boris Johnson’s ‘Operation Moonshot’ that was announced several months ago. Completed tests will be collected from 35,000 postboxes [...]
Hancock says vaccine roll-out could mean a return to normality by Easter November 24, 2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock hopes the roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine would signal that life could go back to “normal” by Easter. Speaking today Hancock told a joint session of the Health and Social Care Committee and Science and Technology Committee: “After Easter, we think we will be getting back to normal.” At a press [...]
UK retail sales fall in November but online shopping booms, survey shows November 24, 2020 Overall UK retail sales dropped in November but online shopping boomed as the England-wide lockdown forced customers to change their habits, a new survey has shown. The CBI’s monthly retail survey showed that sales fell in November year on year at a similar pace to the drop in October. The sales gauge came in at [...]
England’s 28 day lockdown will actually only last 27 days as restrictions lift next Wednesday November 24, 2020 England’s national lockdown will last one day shorter than expected, with restrictions set to lift at 0.01am next Wednesday. Announcing the nationwide measures last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the restrictions would last 28 days starting 4 November, as the government scrambled to curb a spike in infections across the country. However, the restrictions [...]