Covid UK: AstraZeneca shares fall 1% after regulator says under-30s should not take vaccine

AstraZeneca’s share price has slumped by one per cent after UK health chiefs said Britons under 30 should not take its vaccine. The British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm, based in Cambridge, suffered a blow to its jab this afternoon following mounting evidence linking it to rare blood clots. The company’s shares were trading at 7.110 points on Tuesday … Read more

Greensill boss ‘boasted to staff that his finance firm had “enormous” liquidity’ before it collapsed

The boss of collapsed finance company Greensill boasted to staff about the firm’s ‘enormous liquidity’ just three weeks before it collapsed and became embroiled in a political scandal. Australian financier Lex Greensill, 44, reassured staff in an internal video on February 15 – audio of which has been obtained by the FT – of the … Read more

UK minimum wage increases 2.2%, with pay rise for 2m low-paid workers

Pay hike for 2million low-paid workers as minimum wage increases today by 2.2%… more than £300 extra a year for full time staff The National Living Wage rises by 2.2 per cent to £8.91 per hour from Thursday The boost is the equivalent of £345 extra per year for someone working full time The rate … Read more

Boris Johnson flanked by Union Flags as he gives first press conference in new £2.6m briefing room

Boris Johnson swapped antique wood panelling for a Tory blue backdrop tonight as he hosted a coronavirus press conference from his new £2.6million briefing room. The venue for the occasional television appearances has swapped from their former home in 10 Downing Street to a newly refurbished part of No9 after the taxpayer-funded work on kitting … Read more

Union Jack-backed Boris Johnson gives first press conference in new £2.6million briefing room

Boris Johnson swapped antique wood panelling for a Tory blue backdrop tonight as he hosted a coronavirus press conference from his new £2.6million briefing room. The venue for the occasional television appearances has swapped from their former home in 10 Downing Street to a newly refurbished part of No9 after the taxpayer-funded work on kitting … Read more

Lorry drivers entering England for more than two days face Covid tests

Grant Shapps says lorry drivers entering England for more than two days WILL face compulsory Covid tests to fight threat of new coronavirus variants – despite fears it could disrupt food supplies Lorry drivers coming to England must get tested for Covid-19 within 48 hours France has dropped requirement for lorry drivers arriving from UK … Read more

UK defence review: RAF is to lose 114 aircraft including some frontline Typhoon fighters

The RAF is to lose 114 manned aircraft including Typhoon jets under the defence review announced today that puts faith in drones. Under plans unveiled by the Government today a vast slew of fighters, transport aircraft, trainers and helicopters will be phased out over the next few years. They will be replaced by the next … Read more

UK economy: £4bn ‘black hole’ in Rishi Sunak budget plans, says Institute for Fiscal Studies

Britain faces another tax hike due to a £4billion black hole in Rishi Sunak’s Budget spending plans, an influential think tank warned today. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the shortfall for the 2022−23 financial year went ‘entirely unmentioned’ in the Chancellor’s speech to the Commons on March 3. If the spending plan is followed … Read more

Covid UK: Business confidence surges amid vaccination drive success

British businesses are increasingly confident of bouncing back this year, with levels of optimism higher than their global counterparts, according to a new survey.  UK firms are more likely to expect a rebound in activity in the coming months than their competitors around the world and expectations of a spike in growth are now stronger … Read more

Covid lockdown England: Tory MPs urge Boris Johnson not to ‘move goalposts’

Ministers were yesterday accused of ‘moving the goalposts’ and creating uncertainty in plans to lift the lockdown. They were urged by MPs to stick to Boris Johnson’s ‘data not dates’ pledge and publish target figures for when restrictions could be eased. It came as business leaders warned more than 3,500 pubs, bars and restaurants face … Read more