Fewer contacts of people with coronavirus will be told to isolate by the NHS COVID-19 app after an update today. The “logic” which underpins how close contacts are identified and notified will be changed following a review into the NHS COVID-19 app by the health secretary, the Department for Health and Social Care says. Live
Business
Defence and aerospace technology firm Meggitt has agreed a £6.3bn takeover deal by US firm Parker-Hannifin. The FTSE 250 company confirmed an offer from the US engineering technology giant valuing Meggitt at 800p per share. It said the move represents a 70% premium on the share value of the company at the end of trading
A former Unilever executive is being lined up to take the helm of the Whitehall agency which oversees taxpayers’ interests in businesses including the Post Office, NatWest Group and Channel 4. Sky News has learnt that Vindi Banga, who sits on the board of GlaxoSmithKline and chairs the cancer charity Marie Curie, is expected to
Rishi Sunak has written to Boris Johnson warning that the UK’s travel restrictions are “out of step” in comparison to other countries, reports suggest. According to the Sunday Times newspaper, the chancellor has raised concerns with the prime minister about the damage that the current border controls are doing to the UK’s economy and has
British employers have been warned that forcing staff to have the coronavirus vaccination could amount to a criminal offence, amid concerns over “no jab, no job” policies emerging. Only care home staff in England will need to have both vaccine doses to work under current legislation, with a consultation taking place on whether to extend
The UK is “closing in on” striking an agreement in principle with New Zealand, the international trade secretary has said. Liz Truss said “great progress” had been made in the sixth round of discussions between the two sides, which took place from 19 to 30 July. “We’re closing in on an agreement in principle, with
Up to a quarter of supermarket milk deliveries by the UK’s biggest dairy supplier have been unable to get through because of a shortage of lorry drivers. Speaking to Sky News, managing director of Arla Foods UK Ash Amirahmadi warned of a “summer of disruption” unless bold action is taken by the government to tackle
It is a “good idea” for people to have two coronavirus vaccine doses before returning to work but the government will not make it the law, Grant Shapps has said. The transport secretary told Kay Burley on Sky News that some companies may require employees to have received two jabs before entering the office again
British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) is to increase flight numbers to meet the surge in demand for air travel as quarantine rules are eased. The group, which also operates Iberia and Aer Lingus, said it plans to operate at around 45% passenger capacity from July to September, compared with the same period
NatWest has restored shareholder dividends after swinging back into profit, significantly beating expectations. The state-backed bank posted a pre-tax profit of £2.5bn for the six months to June, compared with a loss of £770m the year before. It makes NatWest the latest bank to smash forecasts, following on from both Barclays and Lloyds earlier this
Airlines are putting pressure on the government to exempt fully-vaccinated Americans and EU visitors from quarantine on their arrival to the UK. Amid widespread reports ministers could announce such a move as early as Wednesday, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic – as well as Heathrow Airport – have claimed a recent trial demonstrates how international
Britain’s economy will grow faster than any major economy in Europe as it rebounds from the COVID-19 recession and emerges from lockdown, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted. In the latest update to its World Economic Outlook – its periodical look at the state of the global economy – the IMF forecast that the
China’s government has just provided investors with another reminder of why they should tread carefully when putting money into the country. At the end of last month, the Chinese ride-hailing app Didi made history when it floated on the New York Stock Exchange with a valuation of $70bn, making it the biggest IPO of a
Ministers are reportedly exploring how to block China’s state-owned nuclear energy company from future power projects in the UK. The change in Britain’s stance towards China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) could affect the £20bn Sizewell C nuclear energy project in Suffolk, the Financial Times reported. France’s EDF is scheduled to build the Sizewell site
Selfridges has been put up for sale in a move that could net its Canadian billionaire owners as much as £4bn. The department store chain reportedly attracted bid interest last month, prompting the Weston family to order a formal auction process. It is understood that advisers at Credit Suisse are leading the sale and hope
Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has ordered officials to launch a national security probe into the £2.6bn takeover of Ultra Electronics, a key supplier of military technology, by Cobham, the former London-listed defence group. Sky News has learnt that Mr Kwarteng has told civil servants at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
The food industry tycoon known as the ‘chicken king’ has told Sky News the so-called ‘pingdemic’ staffing crisis is just a small part of unprecedented pressures on supplies, with food shortages already being felt. Ranjit Singh Boparan, whose interests include the 2 Sisters Food Group (2SFG) and a string of casual dining brands, used an
Heathrow Airport has urged the government to reopen the UK economy to fully vaccinated travellers from the European Union and United States by the end of the month after revealing coronavirus crisis losses of almost £3bn to date. The company said expensive COVID-19 testing requirements were hampering an effective reopening of the skies while it
Ryanair has raised its passenger forecast following a recovery in summer bookings but reported a sharper first quarter loss, saying the coronavirus crisis “wreaked havoc” on Easter demand. Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers said it now expected to fly between 90 and 100 million people in its current financial year to the end of
Senior ministers are set to discuss extending the rollout of daily COVD testing sites to ease the concerns of industry and frontline services by allowing further exemptions from isolation for critical workers. The COVID operations sub-committee of Cabinet will meet later to discuss if the number of jobs eligible for the testing regime should be