Boris Johnson

PM confirms further easing of restrictions from 17 May

Prime minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that indoor hospitality can return next week as the government moves ahead with the next step in its roadmap out of lockdown. From  the 17 May, six people or two households will be allowed to meet inside, whilst indoor hospitality will also be able…

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PM announces new £1bn trade agreement with India

Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced a new £1bn trade agreement with India which will create more than 6,500 UK jobs. The agreement includes an enhanced trade partnership which will unlock new opportunities for British businesses exporting to India and vice-versa and will pave the way for future UK-India free…

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Retailers rally behind hospitality and reject Covid status certificates

Retailers have rallied behind pubs and clubs in their rejection of Covid status certificates, according to The Guardian. The news follows on from the announcement made by the prime minister last Sunday to confirm the reopening of shops in England from 12 April 2021. In his announcement, Boris Johnson suggested…

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Non-essential retail reopening confirmed by PM

Non-essential retail and outdoor hospitality has been given the green light to reopen on 12 April, as the prime minister announced that the government intends to keep to the next stage of the lockdown roadmap.  Outdoor hospitality and “significant” parts of the indoor economy will now reopen after data confirmed…

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E-commerce trends can’t outweigh a flotation’s individuality

Moonpig, The Hut Group, and In The Style. These are just a few of the e-commerce retailers to have gone public since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. But are they just a few successful outliers, or are they the beginning of a trend of London Stock Exchange e-commerce listings…

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Online retail sales up 70% in February

Online retail sales reportedly increased 69.5% year-on-year in February 2020, as Boris Johnson’s ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown supported consumer confidence. While the figure is slightly lower than January’s 74% growth, it is above the three, six, and 12-month rolling averages of 57.1%, 42.5%, and 42.7% year-on-year respectively. According to the…

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Chancellor to unveil £5bn high-street support package

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to offer over 700,000 retail, hospitality and other businesses grants of up to £18,000 as part of a £5bn rescue package to be included in his Budget speech on Wednesday (3 March). The new ‘Restart Grants’ will be directly distributed from local authorities from April…

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Chancellor expected to extend furlough until May

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to announce a further extension to the government’s furlough scheme until May in his Budget speech next week.  According to The Times, the move is expected after Boris Johnson promised not to “pull the rug out” from businesses when restrictions eventually begin to ease under…

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Gov should ‘remain flexible’ when lifting retail ban, says BRC

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said the government should “remain flexible” and allow non-essential retailers to reopen as soon as the data suggests it is safe to do so.  The statement comes in response to Boris Johnson’s roadmap’ out of lockdown, where the PM said it is possible that…

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PM outlines ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown

Prime minister Boris Johnson has set out his four-step “roadmap” to guide the nation out of lockdown “cautiously but irreversibly”, calling the plan a “one-way road to freedom”. Step one will begin from 8 March, when all schools will be allowed to open with outdoor after-school sports and activities allowed.…

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