Nurses will be transferred to London from other parts of England under NHS plans to help hospitals in the capital facing a “tsunami” of Covid-19 patients within days, the Guardian has learned. What do the restrictions involve? People in the UK will only be allowed to leave their home for the following purposes: Shopping for … Read more
“There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen,” as Lenin once said, and never have those words been so apt. Tonight’s announcement of a new “self-employed income-support scheme” completes an impressive response package from the government for workers, alongside last week’s “job retention scheme” for employees. Together, the two schemes … Read more
From the moment that Alex Salmond found himself facing allegations of sexual misconduct in office, it was clear his trial would have huge consequences. So it has proved. Mr Salmond is 21st-century Scotland’s most significant politician. The 13 cases of sexual offences involving nine women, mostly Scottish government or Scottish National party officials, were extremely … Read more
MPs will no longer automatically get a vote on any future plans to redraw constituency boundaries. The government had planned to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600 but announced a U-turn on Wednesday, the last day before parliamentary recess, citing the increased workload expected because of Brexit. However, it has also emerged … Read more
Self-employed people must wait until June to get 80% of their earnings covered by the state, up to a maximum of £2,500 a month for three months, in response to the coronavirus crisis. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said the plan would be backdated to March and cover those earning up to £50,000, or 95% of … Read more