British couples who feared their wedding receptions would remain cancelled due to the pandemic have shared their relief at the government’s decision to allow the celebrations from today. Downing Street announced last night that wedding receptions for up to 30 guests will be permitted, but only in the form of a sit-down meal and in … Read more
The Prime Minister raised a chubby paw aloft like an overzealous lollipop lady and announced in that peculiarly elastic voice he was calling things to a halt. His easing of lockdown, which he’d moved along at a lickety-split pace these past few weeks, was being stopped dead in its tracks. ‘We should squeeze that brake … Read more
The London stock market fell today after Boris Johnson postponed a further easing of the coronavirus lockdown in England. The FTSE 100 index of Britain’s leading firms was trading down by 14 points or 0.2 per cent at 5,976 by this afternoon, having initially been up at 6,043 this morning. It came as the Prime … Read more
Spain has been hit by at least 200 new coronavirus outbreaks since it began easing lockdown restrictions. A beach in Barcelona, a wedding in Tudela and a Red Cross centre in Malaga are among the places where new clusters have been found in recent weeks, leaving health officials scrambling to carry out mass tests. Dinner parties, … Read more
Thirsty Britons went out boozing with their friends and munching on fast food last night on the first Friday night out since pubs in England reopened after months of coronavirus lockdown. Groups of millennials in Leeds yesterday dolled up and went drinking with pals before tucking into kebabs, pizzas and fish and chips in the … Read more
Nicola Sturgeon tells Scots eight people from three households can meet up indoors and 15 people from five households can mingle outdoors from tomorrow (so got that?) Nicola Sturgeon has announced an easing of virus lockdown rules in Scotland Three households can meet indoors from tomorrow under the new regime Five households can meet outdoors … Read more
The past few months have been some of the most difficult in living memory for Britain’s small and medium-sized enterprises. They have seen their incomes disappear overnight and battled to get Government-backed grants and loans. They have had to furlough staff, move sales online and even launch entirely new ventures. Now that restrictions are starting … Read more
Europe has seen a surge in coronavirus cases since easing lockdown, WHO warns, with 30 countries seeing numbers rise amid fears of a second wave WHO’s director for Europe said there had been an increase in weekly cases Hans Kluge said 30 countries had seen increases in new cumulative cases He referred to 11 countries … Read more
Friends and family could be given the green light to meet up indoors for the first time in months today as Boris Johnson eases lockdown. Cinemas, pubs and hairdressers are set to allowed to reopen in England from July 4 – dubbed ‘Super Saturday’ by some MPs – in a dramatic effort to get the … Read more
Nicola Sturgeon tore into Boris Johnson today over his plans to ease the lockdown still further in England, branding him ‘reckless. Scotland’s First Minister said it was ‘tempting’ to try to rush to get the nation ‘back to normal’ but suggested that the move should not be rushed amid new spikes in cases in some … Read more