Coronavirus: TfL set to lose £500m from decline in passengers March 16, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) is expecting to lose up to £500m from the impact of coronavirus and will ask the government for financial support. In the past week, passenger numbers on the Tube were down by 19 per cent year-on-year, while bus passenger numbers fell by 10 per cent. The transport body said the figures [...]
UK immigration no longer ‘top of mind’ issue, says new report March 16, 2020 Immigration is no longer a “top of the mind” issue for Britons, according to new research. A report from think tank British Future found immigration ranked as the ninth most important issues for voters, with 41 per cent saying they rated the issue as “very important”. The pro-immigration think tank said this was in contrast [...]
Government criticised for its communications strategy on coronavirus March 15, 2020 The government has been criticised for its communication strategy over the coronavirus pandemic, after news of new quarantine measures were leaked to the press before they were formally announced. ITV reported news of the government’s plan to force over-70s into isolation for up to four months came this morning. ITV was briefed on the measure [...]
HS2: Transport department defends top civil servant over transparency row March 15, 2020 The Department for Transport (DfT) has denied its top civil servant broke the civil service code of conduct as she faces accusations she withheld information on HS2’s budget blowouts. CityAM reported earlier this month that DfT permanent secretary Bernadette Kelly admitted she did not tell parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) she knew HS2 was [...]
Mark Strong to front a coronavirus awareness advertising campaign March 15, 2020 The government will unveil its biggest public service advertising blitz since the Aids pandemic next week to promote awareness of coronavirus symptoms. Actor Mark Strong – whose credits include Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla, Kingsman and The Imitation Game – and the UK’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty will be the faces of the campaign. The advertisements [...]
Heathrow Airport expansion in a ‘deep freeze’ after court decision and coronavirus March 15, 2020 Heathrow Airport’s planned expansion is now in a “deep freeze”, with the aviation industry expecting the project to fall off the agenda during the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines have been told an impending coronavirus recession will likely delay the third runway a further two years to 2030 at the earliest and could require job cuts, according [...]
Coronavirus: Foreign Office advises against travel to the US March 15, 2020 The Foreign Office has advised against “all but essential travel” to the US, after Donald Trump extended the country’s travel ban to include the UK and Ireland. Travel from the UK to the US will be banned from 4am on Tuesday amidst increasing numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases. Responding to the ban, the Foreign and [...]
Coronavirus: Over-70s to be told to isolate for up to four months March 15, 2020 The government is preparing to tell over-70s to isolate for up to four months as it gets on war footing to cope with the spread of coronavirus. Health secretary Matt Hancock confirmed reports this morning that people over the age of 70 would be told to quarantine themselves even if they do not show any [...]
Housing White Paper reforms will ‘accelerate’ planning process March 12, 2020 The government will release its housing White Paper in the spring to outline an overhaul of the country’s planning rules. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it would “propose measures to accelerate planning” and “maximise the potential of new technologies to modernise the system”. Housing secretary Robert Jenrick said this would [...]
Tube passenger numbers fall during UK coronavirus outbreak March 12, 2020 The amount of passengers on the Tube has declined in the past four weeks during the coronavirus outbreak. The number of London Underground journeys has dropped by 1.6 per cent in the past four weeks compared to a year ago, while trips in the past 12 weeks are down 1 per cent compared to a [...]
