Category archives: News in Review

“With every day that goes by our economy is slowly and cautiously picking itself up off the floor” Ahead of so-called ‘Freedom Day’ on Monday, Boris Johnson urged people to exercise caution as most restrictions on social contact were lifted in England. With the Prime Minister and Health Secretary currently isolating, and UK daily infections […]

“We think now is the right moment to proceed” In Monday’s Downing Street briefing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that almost all remaining coronavirus restrictions will lift on Monday 19 July, despite cases and hospital admissions rising, as it was felt that a further delay could risk a bigger surge in the autumn. Although stating […]

“We must take a careful and a balanced decision” In a Downing Street briefing on Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ministers will make a final decision on 12 July, whether step four of restriction easing would happen as planned on 19 July. Most legal restrictions look set to be scrapped, with face masks no longer […]

‘The Committee judges that UK inflation expectations remain well anchored’ Last week, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), unanimously voted to maintain base rates at an all-time low of 0.1%. In a statement released on Thursday, the MPC shrugged off concerns over a pick-up in inflation, saying its expectation is that ‘the economy […]

“There is pent-up demand and ambition across many sectors” Last Friday, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) published its latest economic forecast, which predicts UK GDP growth is set to bounce back to pre-COVID levels by the end of the year, despite the four-week delay in lifting all lockdown restrictions. The industry body said the […]

‘Shared beliefs and shared responsibilities are the bedrock of leadership and prosperity’ The G7 Summit in Cornwall dominated headlines over the weekend, with leaders of the ‘Group of Seven’ (UK, US, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Japan) meeting to discuss global worldwide issues, including vaccination programmes, economic recovery and climate change. The Prime Minister hosted the […]

‘We will continue to work together to ensure a strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive global recovery that builds back better and greener from the COVID-19 pandemic’ Ahead of the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, later this week, where leaders from some of the world’s most influential countries are meeting to discuss major global issues, several Finance Ministers […]

“Jab by jab this life-saving programme, unparalleled in our history, is getting us back to the things we love” Good news came over the weekend as a significant vaccination milestone was surpassed. Tipping over the marker, after over 700,000 jabs were administered on Saturday alone, the UK has now delivered over 60 million vaccinations, first […]

“I do not believe on present evidence that we need to delay our roadmap” Despite concerns growing over the spread of the Indian variant, as clusters of the B.1.617.2 continue to be discovered across the UK, at a Downing Street briefing last Friday, Boris Johnson confirmed the planned phase three easements would proceed on 17 […]

“This unlocking amounts to a very considerable step on the road back to normality” On Monday, the Prime Minister confirmed that the next stage of easing measures will go ahead as intended on 17 May. People in England will be able to resume numerous activities, including hugging loved ones, meeting six people or two households […]