Third national lockdown looms after Christmas
Rishi Sunak has also extended the furlough scheme until April, adding to speculation that tight restrictions will continue beyond Easter
17 December 2020 • 9:30pm
The areas that have been pushed into Tier 3 have steadily grown since the last lockdown
A third national lockdown will be considered if coronavirus infections continue to rise after Christmas, Downing Street has suggested.
More than 38 million people in England – 68 per cent of the population – will be in Tier 3 from Saturday after large parts of the South East were plunged into the harshest level of restrictions by ministers.
Tory MPs in some of the new Tier 3 areas branded the decision “ridiculous”, but Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, said he was left with no choice after infection rates surged by up to two thirds in some areas.
How Did £50 Billion in U.K. Banknotes Just Go Missing ?
On 12/11/20 at 5:50 AM EST
The Bank of England has been criticized by lawmakers in the United Kingdom after it was discovered that £50 billion ($67 billion) in banknotes has essentially gone missing .
A powerful group of MPs that make up the government s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the U.K. s central bank needs to shoulder responsibility for the unaccounted cash and take a more proactive role in tracking it down.
The Bank of England denies responsibility for the cash, and in a statement said: It is the responsibility of the Bank of England to meet public demand for banknotes. The bank has always met that demand and will continue to do so. Members of the public do not have to explain to the bank why they wish to hold banknotes. This means that banknotes are not missing.
Pay no attention to the left-wing brigade, a Covid wealth tax would be a disaster
Mark Littlewood is director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs.
Proponents of the wealth tax hope that this will raise approximately £250bn over five years, through a five per cent tax on the net wealth of individuals over £500,000.
It is incredible how, in the 12 years since the financial crisis, the position of so many organisations has changed.
In 2008/9, think tanks like the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) argued that the British day-to-day deficit required prudent reforms to public spending, while those on the left claimed that there wasn’t a problem and that we should just keep borrowing to spend at the same level.