The government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has so far helped protect more than 9.3 million jobs through the pandemic, with employers claiming more than £25.5 billion to support wages. The scheme will remain open until the end of October and will continue to support jobs and business in a […]

New laws to spare divorcing couples having to apportion blame for the breakdown of their marriage took a step closer this week, as a Bill seeking to reduce family conflict gained Royal Assent. Currently, one spouse has to make accusations about the other’s conduct, such as ‘unreasonable behaviour’ or adultery, […]

Graham Loomes, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick When the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced the reduction of social distancing from two metres to “one-metre plus”, he reassured the public that the decision was based on expert advice. He claimed that by adhering to a raft of “mitigating” measures […]

From the Government website: What can I do that I couldn’t do before? From 4 July: you can meet in groups of up to two households (your support bubble counts as one household) in any location – public or private, indoors or outdoors. You do not always have to meet with the […]

From the Government: Children in England are set to benefit from a £1 billion Covid “catch-up” package to directly tackle the impact of lost teaching time, the Prime Minister and Education Secretary have confirmed. As plans continue for a full return to education from September, the government has announced £650 […]

Marcus Rashford. Jose Breton- Pics Action/Shutterstock Regina Keith, University of Westminster Following a campaign led by the England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford, the UK government has committed to providing free school meals to children in England during the 2020 summer holidays. The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating […]

More than one-fifth of usual household spending has not been possible during the lockdown, Office for National Statistics (ONS) analysis reveals. On the plus side, this may mean some people are saving, or may be able to spend more after lockdown, but it means not so much discretionary spending has […]

In his statement, Boris Johnson announced:   On 7 June, 443 people were admitted to hospital with coronavirus in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, down from 628 two weeks earlier, and down from a peak of 3,431 on 1 April. And on 9 June, 492 patients with coronavirus were in […]

I know lots of people are increasingly sceptical of the briefings, but here is a round-up of what was said yesterday, for those who didn’t watch it. This is from the Government, not me: The number of admissions with COVID-19 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland has fallen again to […]

The government will work with operators to make it mandatory for passengers to wear face coverings when using public transport in England, the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on 4 June 2020. Wherever possible people should continue to avoid public transport and walk, cycle or drive, but for some people, […]