Call for clarity over Scottish consequences of budget
Scottish Parliament Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has called for “urgent clarification” on the consequences for Scotland of the £30bn coronavirus budget package. However, Ms Forbes said it was not clear what the announcement meant for spending in Scotland. The chancellor said the overall Budget would result in £640m additional funding for the Scottish government. She […]
Coronavirus: March retail sales ‘plummet’
Getty Images Retail sales declined at the worst rate on record last month as the government’s coronavirus lockdown measures took hold, a trade body says. Total UK sales fell by 4.3% compared with the previous year, the sharpest decline since 1995, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said. There was a sharp contrast between sales before […]
More than 600,000 people told to isolate by NHS Covid-19 app
Cristina Criddle Technology reporter Getty Images More than 600,000 people using the NHS Covid-19 app in England and Wales were sent self-isolation alerts in the week between 8 and 15 July. Data shows 618,903 alerts were sent – a 17% rise from the previous week. There are complaints from businesses that the alerts are causing […]
Director sentenced over £200,000 fish fraud
A company director caught fraudulently obtaining more than £200,000 by producing fake labels so he could sell products abroad has been ordered to carry out unpaid work. Sea-Pac owner Alistair Thompson, 70, from Lonmay, Aberdeenshire, admitted fraud at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. He arranged for Shetland Products and Fraserburgh Freezing and Cold Storage labels to go […]
Athlete Non Stanford to get MBE
Paul Pigott & Peter Shuttleworth BBC News Non Stanford Former world champion triathlete Non Stanford will receive an MBE Athlete Non Stanford has been recognised in the King’s first Birthday Honours with an MBE for services to triathlon in Wales. She said it had settled some “demons” as she felt doing a “selfish pursuit” may […]
Truckers’ rest area improvements welcomed by MPs
Google Scunthorpe Truck Stop is among 39 roadside areas in England receiving funding from the Department for Transport’s scheme MPs have welcomed a government cash injection for better facilities to make life more comfortable for lorry drivers visiting northern Lincolnshire. Grimsby, Immingham and Scunthorpe are among 39 roadside areas in England receiving funding from an […]
Covid, climate and cost of living
Daniel Davies BBC Wales political correspondent Thinkstock After years of austerity, the Welsh government’s budget for running services is growing. But Mark Drakeford and his ministers do not have a free hand. Protecting people, services and businesses from Covid will be a priority and, as things stand, emergency pandemic funding is due to end next […]
Ryanair post first loss since 2014 amid fare cuts
Reuters Ryanair posted a net loss of €19.6m (£17.2m) for the last three months of the year, its first quarterly loss since March 2014. The airline carried 32.7 million passengers compared with 30.4 million for the same period a year earlier as revenue rose 9% to €1.53bn. But the airline said “excess winter capacity in […]
Lorraine Kelly, tax law and how celebrities build public personas
Steven McIntosh Entertainment reporter Shutterstock “Lorraine Kelly is one of the most ruthless people you’ll meet in the business,” joked Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain last week. “Don’t be fooled by that halo. To warm herself up for her show, she literally murders kittens and puppies.” Morgan’s joke, which he made the day after […]
EU re-approves NI water protection plans
Conor Macauley BBC NI Agriculture & Environment Correspondent Getty Images Just over a third of 450 rivers in Northern Ireland are classified as having a status of good or better. The EU has given its re-approval for plans to protect water quality in Northern Ireland. It has accepted measures put forward by officials to prevent […]