Author: Sumon Admin

    Boris Johnson has given his strongest hint yet that face coverings may be made mandatory in English shops, saying said he is looking at ways to be “stricter” about their use. The comment came as Mr Johnson signalled an apparent shift in government on the return to normal life, saying people should "go back to work if they can". The government has previously said that people should work from home if it is possible. In a clear sign that the government believes it is now necessary to encourage people to end their four months of working from home, Mr Johnson added: "I want people to go back to work as carefully as possible. "It is very important that people should be going back to work if they can. Everybody has taken the 'stay at home if you can' (message). I think we...

    Tens of thousands of people in "high-risk" jobs will be tested for coronavirus despite having no symptoms as part of a new government scheme. People including taxi drivers, cleaners and shop assistants will be involved in the pilot announced by the Department of Health and Social Care today. The DHSC said the testing, which begins tomorrow, would improve understanding of the prevalence of the virus among those who are judged to be at higher risk. Firms included in the trial include taxi firm Addison Lee, BT, services firm Mitie and pharmacy giant Boots. The DHSC said each business will receive thousands of tests for staff via home-testing delivery or a mobile testing unit. Four councils - Bradford, Newham, Brent and Oldham - will also book tests for people at walk...

    Angela Merkel said the EU should be prepared for a no trade deal Brexit on Wednesday, the day after Boris Johnson warned the German Chancellor that Britain was “ready” to walk away without an agreement. I will continue to push for a good solution, but we should also prepare for a possible no deal scenario, Mrs Merkel said in the European Parliament in Brussels. Progress in negotiations so far has been slim to put it diplomatically,” Mrs Merkel said, as she set out plans for Germany’s six month EU Presidency. She added,We've agreed with the United Kingdom to accelerate the pace of talks to reach an agreement by autumn, an agreement that could be ratified by the end of the year. Mr Johnson has been adamant that he will not allow the discussions to drag on into the a...

    The European Union will introduce full border checks with the UK on January 1, despite Britain introducing customs controls on EU goods more slowly and whether or not the two sides agree a trade deal. Michel Barnier warned a House of Lords Committee that Brussels will not delay things, despite the Government’s U-Turn on EU goods imports. The UK announced a gradual three phased implementation of border checks in June after previously insisting that checks would be inevitable. Full border checks will now only apply on EU goods entering the UK from July 2021. The EU’s chief negotiator told peers that the EU was, in contrast to the UK, ready for Britain to leave the Customs Union and Single Market at the end of the transition period on January 1. The European Commissi...

    The UK government could announce a stamp duty holiday for home buyers in a bid to boost economic recovery from the coronavirus, according to reports. Chancellor Rishi Sunak is said to be weighing up raising the threshold for the tax to between £300,000 and £500,000, leaving the average property exempt from the tax. Stamp duty land tax (SDLT) is levied on property buyers as a percentage of the purchase price. Home buyers pay between 2% and 12% of the value of the property above £125,000 in England and Northern Ireland. Thresholds are already higher for first-time buyers. The tax has been devolved to the Scottish and Welsh governments, which have renamed it and varied the rates. The reports did not make clear how the changes being floated could affect Scotland and Wa...

    Pub-goers were unable to observe social distancing measures as drinking establishments opened across the UK on Saturday, the chairman of the Police Federation has said. John Apter, who was on shift in Southampton on Super Saturday, said he had dealt with “naked men, happy drunks, angry drunks, fights and more angry drunks”. Apter tweeted saying it was “crystal clear” from the hospitality industry’s early attempts to employ social distancing measures that “drunk people can’t/won’t socially distance”. “Finished my late shift with the @HantsPolice Southampton City late shift,” he tweeted on Sunday morning. “A busy shift, we dealt with anti social behaviour, naked men, possession of class ‘A’ drugs, happy drunks, angry drunks, fights, more angry drunks and was called ...

    Brits have flocked to pubs in England for the first time in three months after they reopened from 6am. Thirsty punters have seen off long-awaited pints at reopened Wetherspoons branches, while queues lined the streets outside barber shops this morning. Bars, restaurants, cafes and salons are all welcoming back customers, in what Boris Johnson has hailed "the biggest step yet on the road to recovery", dubbed "Super Saturday". But Matt Hancock warned revellers they "could end up behind bars" if trouble flares, with police chiefs and hospital bosses bracing for a New Year's Eve-style operation.