There is no one vignette about the government’s handling of the pandemic that “says it all”, but there will always be a broken place in my heart for the fact that at the end of the first lockdown, the government opened the pubs before the schools. Hey, give the Johnson administration a break. They’d only … Read more
Latest updates: Jenny Harries says schools likely to reopen sooner in areas with dropping infection rates English schools may reopen regionally, medical chief suggests Covid-related care home deaths in England jump by 46% Two-thirds of residents at Lincolnshire care home die in Covid outbreak Coronavirus – latest global updates See all our coronavirus coverage 1.13pm … Read more
The UK’s leading employers’ organisation has warned Rishi Sunak that businesses running short of cash and resilience cannot afford to wait six weeks for the budget to secure more financial help from the government. Tony Danker, the director-general of the CBI, called on the chancellor to extend the furlough scheme, defer VAT payments and resist … Read more
Urgent action is needed to tackle an “unprecedented backlog” of court cases built up during the pandemic that has “severe implications” for victims, the UK’s four justice chief inspectors have warned. The plight of prisoners locked up for most of the day because of Covid-19 and disruption to services for young offenders were also highlighted … Read more
A Treasury minister has downplayed the need for immediate tax rises to tackle record levels of government borrowing caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Jesse Norman said a rapid economic recovery from the worst recession for more than three centuries could help ministers avoid increasing the tax take in response to record borrowing levels. Answering questions … Read more