Month: July 2023

Sales of Covid tests have increased by a third this month, while official estimates of the number of people with the virus have also risen.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said its surveillance showed a slight increase in cases and hospital admissions, including those in intensive care, as of July 20.
Its records show 3.7 per cent of 4,403 respiratory specimens were identified as Covid-19 compared with 3.6 per cent of 4,535 two weeks prior.

Boots also said its sales of tests had increased by 33 per cent between July 16 and 22 compared with the previous three weeks.
The Zoe Health Study, which takes its data from people self-reporting, estimates there were 606,602 people with symptomatic Covid on July 4 and that this has since risen to 789,695 on July 28.
This is still well below the 1,678,854 peak of December 30 and the 2,993,830 peak on July 18 last year.
Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist for immunisation at the UKHSA, said: “Covid-19 cases and hospital admission rates remain at low levels, though have risen very slightly in the past two weeks. We will continue to monitor these rates closely.
“The NHS will be in contact in autumn 2023 when the seasonal vaccine is available for those who are eligible due to health conditions or age.
“Remember that the virus can cause serious illness, especially for those who are older or immunosuppressed, so we urge everyone who is offered to take up the vaccine when offered.”
Nearly five million people use Zoe’s app to report Covid symptoms and test results, the company says, and of these, it estimates there are 59,357 daily new cases with the greatest proportion in Wales and Cornwall.
Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, told the Times newspaper that the most recent rise may be a result of waning immunity and the cooler, wetter weather pushing more people

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Sales of Covid tests increased by a third in July, says Boots

The prime minister will emphasise the need to strengthen Britain’s energy security when he meets industry leaders this week.
Rishi Sunak is to set out details of the government’s plans for the UK’s fossil fuel and green industries.
The Sunday Times says he will announce multimillion-pound funding for a carbon capture project in Scotland.
The Tories are facing internal divisions over their green policies, with some MPs calling for a rethink.
Environmental groups have expressed “deep alarm” at reports the government may water down its green commitments.
Anger over London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to extend the capital’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) was widely seen as helping Conservatives seal a narrow victory in the Uxbridge by-election.
Both Mr Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have urged Mr Khan to reflect on the Ulez rollout as people struggle with cost-of-living pressures.
Mr Sunak is now setting out his position as being on the side of drivers.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said he has ordered a review of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) because he supports people to “use their cars to do all the things that matter to them”.
With intense heatwaves worldwide this month prompting climate change warnings, the backlash against Ulez has propelled the UK’s net zero target to the top of the political agenda.
The PM and his Energy Security Secretary, Grant Shapps, will meet senior representatives from the oil and gas, renewable and nuclear industries over the week.
The government said it hoped the meetings would ensure the UK was making the most of opportunities to boost its energy infrastructure and help it to press ahead with safeguarding energy security and reducing reliance on “hostile states”.
According to the Sunday Times, Mr Sunak will start the week in Aberdeenshire where he will announce funding for the Acorn carbon capture project, a joint venture between Shell UK and other companies.
The project would see harmful greenhouse gas emissions piped under the North Sea.
This would prevent carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere, by capturing it at the point where the fossil fuel is being burnt.
The technology is seen by policy makers as a vital tool in reaching net-zero emissions by the middle of the century and could create up to 21,000 jobs, the Sunday Times reported.
Some environmentalists, however, are against it because they consider it a distraction from the urgent need to cut emissions.
The Acorn Project has been under development in various forms for more than a decade.
It had hoped to be one of the first projects of its kind to receive government backing in 2021, but lost out to two projects in the north of England around the Humber and the Mersey.
If given the go ahead this week, it would become Scotland’s first carbon capture and storage facility.
Mr Sunak will vow to “put powering up Britain from Britain first”, making the most of the UK’s resources, reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels and investing in renewables technologies.
The government, despite alarm from climate campaigners, is also committed to new oil and gas licences in the North Sea.
‘Failed energy policy’
In its energy security strategy, published in March, the government said it was committed to further oil and gas exploration to “minimise our reliance on overseas imports”.
Calling energy security “national security”, Mr Shapps said: “Since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine the government has driven Putin from our energy market, paid around half of a typical family’s energy bill and grown our economy by driving forward major energy projects.
“This week we will go even further. Forging ahead with critical measures to power up Britain from Britain, including supporting our invaluable oil and gas industry, making the most of our home-grown energy sources and backing British innovation in renewables.”
Shadow climate secretary Ed Miliband said families and businesses were paying the price, in higher energy bills, of “13 years of failed Tory energy policy”.
“Labour will take no lessons from the party that banned onshore wind, crashed the market for solar, stalled energy efficiency, haven’t got any new nuclear plants started, and left us at the mercy of tyrants across the world.”
Jamie Peters, climate coordinator at Friends of the Earth, said ending the UK’s “reliance” on fossil fuels was the “only sensible and effective way” of increasing energy security.
“The UK is blessed with huge renewable energy resources, offshore and onshore, and we should be making better use of these for long-term security and economic prosperity.”
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Rishi Sunak to meet leaders over energy security plans

The anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller has said “we don’t have a functioning democracy” if new political parties cannot access banking services, after she was told her own party’s account would be closed.
The government and financial services watchdog must step in, she said, to ensure new parties and MPs can access banking to be able to operate.
Miller said it was a “bigger issue” than the closure of Nigel Farage’s bank account, which led to a row resulting in the resignations of the top bosses at NatWest and Coutts.
Miller, who came to prominence bringing legal cases over Brexit, was told earlier this month by Monzo that her True and Fair party’s account would close in September.
She was told in a message on the bank’s app but was given no explanation.
Monzo has since said it does not accept any political parties and that the account was opened erroneously as it was not categorised as such in the application.
Nine banks had turned down the True and Fair party before it got the account with Monzo in November 2021, according to Miller.
She told the PA news agency: “That is the bigger issue, the fact that as a new insurgent political party you have no access to banking services, which is extraordinary in a democracy.”
The party has now found a small institution to bank with but, Miller says: “What if they turn around in future and say: ‘Well, actually, we’ve decided for no reason that because you’re a political party, you can’t have a bank account’?
“I think the government and the FCA [Financial Conduct Authority] have got to step in straight away because if this happened – we lose our account in September for Monzo, and then another bank or our new provider decides that they will use this same rule saying: ‘Oh well, we don’t accept political parties’ – then we in effect won’t exist.
“We wouldn’t be able to operate because we wouldn’t have any access to any banking services.”
Concerns over de-banking have mounted after Farage said his account with Coutts was shut down because it disagreed with his political views.
The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, weighed in to say his government was taking “tough action” to protect the free speech of banking customers.
The NatWest chief executive, Dame Alison Rose, stepped down this week after both Downing Street and the Treasury expressed their “serious concerns” about her conduct after she admitted to being the source of an incorrect BBC report on the former Ukip leader’s finances.
Miller noted that Farage had been offered an alternative account with NatWest and said her case pointed to wider issues.
“What I’m saying is actually even bigger than that, which is: how can we have a proper functioning democracy if we can’t have new parties or new elected people?”
She also raised concerns about newly elected MPs being de-banked due to lenders using rules around politically exposed persons (PEP) in a “dysfunctional way”.
Her True and Fair party is standing nine candidates in the next general election, with Miller running against the Tory former minister Chris Grayling in Epsom and Ewell.
The financial regulator is looking into whether PEP rules, over anyone considered to be higher risk because of their political connections, are applied too rigorously by banks amid concerns many British politicians are denied accounts.
Monzo said: “Like lots of banks, we do not accept any political parties as Monzo Business customers, in the same way that we don’t currently accept trusts, clubs and a range of other organisations.
“In this case, the account wasn’t originally categorised as a political party.
“After this was identified and corrected, the customer was given notice that the account would be closed. We recognise that this experience will have been frustrating for the customer and we’re sorry for that.”
There is no suggestion Monzo factored Miller’s political views into its decision.
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Gina Miller voices fear for democracy over closure of political party bank account

Beleaguered Cinema chain Cineworld will suspend its listing on the London Stock Exchange today as it limps on with a restructuring plan to reduce its massive mountain of debt.
The British chain revealed it would file for administration and stop trading on the exchange last month as it creaks under the weight of a huge debt pile built up before the pandemic.
The firm had disclosed a net debt of about $8.8 billion, according to its latest results at the time.
Bosses said administrators, once appointed, would shift all of its assets to a wholly owned subsidiary called Crown, and a newly incorporated company controlled by the group’s lenders will become the sole owner of Crown, with Cineworld ceasing to have any interest in the parties.
In a statement this morning, bosses said the firm had also struck a new $250m credit deal to help finance its turnaround plans.
“The restructuring, when implemented by way of an administration process, will transform the Group’s balance sheet and provide it with significant additional liquidity to fund its long-term strategy,” Cineworld said.
The firm claimed a restructuring will involve the release around $4.53bn of the group’s funded indebtedness, the execution of a rights offering to raise gross proceeds of $800m and the provision of $1.71bn in new debt financing.
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Cineworld suspends trading on London Stock Exchange as restructuring plans limp on

The expansion of ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) to outer London boroughs. has been ruled as lawful by the High Court.
Five Conservative-run councils had launched legal action back in February over the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to London’s outer boroughs.
The scheme will come into force from 29 August and see the drivers of the most polluting vehicles charged £12.50 a day to use them.
The hope of those behind the plan is it will incentivise people to use cleaner transport alternatives and, as a result, help improve the city’s air quality.
And TfL has claimed only a small number of people will be impacted, with nine out of 10 vehicles compliant with ULEZ requirements.
But the councils challenged the roll-out in the courts, saying the capital’s Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, had exceeded his legal powers with such a large expansion of the scheme.
The four local authorities – Hillingdon, Bexley, Bromley and Harrow in London, plus Surrey County Council – also claimed the consultation on the plan was flawed, and not enough information had been shared over the scrappage scheme, which provides pay-outs to people prepared to ditch their vehicles.
While other parts of the challenge were dismissed in April, the councils were granted a hearing in the High Court, and the two sides fought it out over two days of evidence.
The ruling comes a week after the debate around ULEZ dominated a local by-election and the fall-out from the results.
The seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip – left vacant by the departure of Boris Johnson – seemed ripe for the taking for Labour in light of recent polling that gives the party a double digit lead over the Tories.
But the Conservative candidate managed a narrow victory – albeit seeing the majority for the party fall from over 7,000 to less than 500 – having turned its campaign into a referendum on ULEZ.
Since then, Labour have been in turmoil over the policy and whether to support it, with Sir Keir Starmer saying he had asked the mayor to “reflect” on the impact of the scheme.
However, Mr Khan has said he is committed to ULEZ expansion, saying: “It was a difficult decision to take. But just like nobody will accept drinking dirty water, why accept dirty air?”
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London ULEZ expansion legal, High Court rules

The owner of House of Fraser has said it could close more stores, after shutting eight in the past year and declaring “the department store globally is broken”.
Michael Murray, the chief executive of Mike Ashley’s retail empire Frasers, which also owns Sports Direct, the designer street fashion chain Flannels and a plethora of brands from Jack Wills to Evans Cycles, said its department store portfolio was “continually under review” and some outlets were “still too big”. “We have to find solutions for the excess space,” he said.
House of Fraser has already almost halved in size from 59 stores to 31 since it was bought out of administration by Ashley’s retail empire in August 2018. Murray said that historically stores would have been 150,000 sq ft or larger, which was now “too big” and meant that in the past they “didn’t have the investment” they needed. The group now wants stores of about 50,000 sq ft or smaller.
House of Fraser’s latest closures follow a trend of decline for traditional department stores, with the UK’s Debenhams chain now online-only after collapsing into administration in 2019, while Beales is reduced to just a handful of stores after going bust in 2020. John Lewis has shut 16 stores since 2020, leaving it with just 34, while Fenwick is to shut its flagship London shop on Bond Street next year after 130 years of trade.
Murray’s comments came as Frasers reported that pre-tax profits for the group almost doubled to £660m after sales rose 16% to £5.6bn in the year to 30 April.
Sales at the group’s premium division, which includes Flannels and House of Fraser, rose 5.7%, before acquisitions, but the division sank to a loss of £100,000, from a £10.5m profit a year before, after losing business rates relief and taking a £19.8m hit from store closures.
Sales at the core Sports Direct chain were virtually flat year on year, excluding acquisitions, but profits more than doubled to £447m as the group said a better relationship with the key brand Nike and other labels had helped it improve profit margins while it made additional profits on property disposals.
Frasers’ sales were helped by a slew of acquisitions, including the online specialist Studio Retail and several brands from JD Sports. Murray indicated there would be more to come.
He said the group would continue to build stakes in listed companies as that was important in moving relationships forward. “Everyone can talk about trying to drive a strategic relationship but if someone doesn’t put their money where their mouth is and take the first step then [nothing changes]. When you own 10% to 20% everyone’s focused to make things happen. You are having conversations,” he said.
While he would not comment on Frasers’ plans for specific companies, Murray added: “There’s going to be opportunities and we are well placed to capitalise on them. We have a strong industry leading platform for helping these businesses and taking benefits for our business.”
The company said it expected to make up to £550m in underlying profit in the year ahead despite a tough consumer environment as it would be “staying focused on cost inflation”.
That would be a step up from the £478m of underlying profit in the year to April, which came after excluding one-off benefits including a £55.2m gain on the acquisition of some brands from JD Sports and £17m related to the sale of a stake in Kangol.
On Thursday, Frasers said it had increased its stake in the online retailer Asos by another two percentage points to 15%. This week it has also upped its stake in the online fashion site Boohoo from 5% to 6.7% and N Brown from 18% to 19%.
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House of Fraser owner could close more big shops as department store model ‘broken’

Top business groups have welcomed government plans to speed up the planning process for key infrastructure projects as a “major signal” on green growth.
Ministers want to overhaul the system and create a new fast-track route for major schemes, such as offshore wind farms, transport connections, waste facilities and nuclear power stations.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “Significant infrastructure projects don’t just ensure people can get to work easily, do their recycling, and power their homes.
“They also create jobs, grow our economy, and help us become fit for the future.”
And the idea – now subject to a consultation until mid-September – has been broadly welcomed by business bodies.
James Watkins, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) policy lead, said: “We need to speed up planning processes to get the infrastructure we need, from secure energy grids to 5G.
“Britain cannot afford to be in the slow lane. For too long, major decisions on key projects including transport have taken years, whilst our international competitors rush ahead.”
While Jane Gratton, from the British Chambers of Commerce, said firms were put off the planning system by “long delays, complexity and uncertainty” leading to higher costs and lack of investment.
She said: “We need a faster, streamlined system to deliver vital infrastructure the economy needs, enable local communities and businesses to prosper, and support the transition to net zero.”
And John Foster, interim policy director at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) added: “With planning delays cited by a number of firms as a significant barrier to green investment, streamlining processes would represent a major signal of intent about the UK’s status as a leader in green growth.”
But he warned ministers should go further, stressing “bolder thinking” and as “fundamental reset” was needed for the UK to be a world leader in the built environment.
Housing secretary Michael Gove said reforms would be “vital” to deliver major infrastructure projects
It comes after he set out measures on Monday including on leasehold reform, simplifying planning procedures, expanding planning capacity, and regenerating and reviving inner cities.
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Business groups welcome plans to speed up planning process for big infrastructure projects

When the phrase ‘quiet quitting’ started popping up amid the COVID-19 pandemic, employers and the media were trying to understand why some workers seemed to be putting in less effort than expected and only doing the minimum required.
Susanne Lund, CEO at Airtame explains that while many factors can influence this behavior, a common refrain from workers today is that many employers deploy rigid structures that contradict modern expectations for flexibility, affecting both engagement and company culture. Whether an individual’s quiet quitting is driven by mandatory attendance policies or reluctance to embrace new tools and technologies, the effects on a business’ efficiency and bottom line can be significant.
Quiet Quitting Isn’t a Fad
The tendency of some workers to become disillusioned by their workplace culture or the work itself is not a new phenomenon, but its impact today may be greater than any time in modern history. In Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report, the research firm found that workers who have disengaged from work and lack supportive bonds make up nearly 60 percent of the workforce, costing the global economy up to nine percent of GDP, or roughly $8.8 trillion.
The same study found 44 percent of employees reported feeling stress during “a lot” of the previous day, while purporting that employee engagement has 3.8 times greater influence on employee stress as work location. Even more stark was the self-reported solution: 41 percent named “engagement or culture” as the most significant change that would improve worker appreciation and engagement, beating out “pay and benefits” at 28 percent. This follows the 2022 American Opportunity Survey from McKinsey that revealed 87 percent of workers take the opportunity to work remotely at least one day a week when offered, reaching industries as varied as finance, media production, information technology, engineering, social services, educational instruction and healthcare.
These findings support the idea that workers see more benefit than harm from remote work, but don’t help provide a specific solution to improve engagement among flexible workers. Based on our collective experiences, there appears to be one clear tactic to address these challenges in a way that supports all parties’ end goals, and it relies on embracing technology.
Technology is a Catalyst for Community
For many workers and some employers, the rapid need for alternate work arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic proved that traditional 9-5 office schedules aren’t the only way to operate, or even necessarily the most efficient or productive. Companies of all kinds and all sizes rushed to implement policies and tools to enable remote work in order to protect employees’ health and ensure reliable staffing and operations, with workers often expected to maintain performance levels and adjust to new remote procedures with little guidance.
The technologies being deployed to support this transition vary widely from home office equipment and cloud-based computing solutions to new virtual collaboration and in-office meeting room tools. Regardless of the specific solutions, many leaders and employees noticed a disparity in meeting experiences and outcomes between in-office and remote attendees, signaling a need to improve meeting equity so each individual enjoys the same level of engagement and participation regardless of location or work arrangement.
Equally important was the need for companies to adopt user-friendly technology solutions in-office to support the great return. When workers began returning to in-person work in earnest, some found that the workflows and processes they used at home conflicted with the tools provided in conference rooms, essentially requiring them to use different procedures when working from each location, hindering flexibility and morale.
The pace of technology moves quickly, however, and early adopters have already succeeded at improving experiences by streamlining meeting simplicity with BYOM (Bring Your Own Meeting) spaces, which allow workers to easily host meetings from their own devices while leveraging the full power of the room’s professional-grade audio and video components.
Refusing to Adapt Can Cost Top Talent
While there are some big-name corporations attempting to rescind flexible work policies and plenty of public discussion about who gets to work remotely, what’s obvious is the leverage these shifts can provide for workers when negotiating contracts or pushing for policy changes. In a competitive sense, an applicant choosing between two positions may have incentive to choose the more flexible role or company, even if the more rigid one offers better pay.
The same is true for existing employees who lean into quiet quitting; each day they feel unsupported and disengaged is another day of lost productivity, in addition to eventually causing some to truly quit. Additionally, as the labor market tightens, individuals with highly specialized or valuable skills can demand specific conditions or benefits, including workplace flexibility or more supportive in-office technology infrastructure.
If workers prove they can maintain productivity regardless of location, employers who support them with new tools and are open to discussions about company culture can limit or eliminate the threat of quiet quitting. By being responsive to their needs and expectations, even when compromises are required from both sides, leaders can help increase engagement of their workers and reinvigorate the mutual respect necessary to retain a passionate workforce.
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Can Collaboration Technology Help Prevent Quiet Quitting?

Mastercard has said financial payment companies must stop allowing US customers to buy legal marijuana in shops with its debit cards.
Because marijuana remains illegal at a federal level in the US, customers in the 38 states where it is allowed are usually forced to pay in cash.
Mastercard said the move comes after it found some shops accepted debit payments despite the federal ban.
Marijuana advocates have called for new laws to ease sales of legal cannabis.
“As we were made aware of this matter, we quickly investigated it. In accordance with our policies, we instructed the financial institutions that offer payment services to cannabis merchants and connects them to Mastercard to terminate the activity,” Mastercard said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The federal government considers cannabis sales illegal, so these purchases are not allowed on our systems,” the statement continued.
The crackdown aims to stop marijuana businesses, known as dispensaries, from offering the option to customers of paying with a debit card after entering their account’s PIN number.
Marijuana is currently legal for medical use in 38 states. It is also legal for adults over 21 years old to buy for recreational use in 23 states, including Washington DC and the entire US West Coast.
In Canada, where cannabis was legalised on the national level in 2018, customers are often permitted to make payments with credit or debit cards.
Sunburn Cannabis CEO Brady Cobb criticised Mastercard’s decision, saying “this move is another blow to the state-legal cannabis industry and patients/consumers who want to access this budding category”.
The Democrat-controlled US Senate is hoping to pass a law that would make it easier for cannabis businesses to interact with financial institutions.
But earlier this month, top Republican Senator John Cornyn described the bill’s passage as “wishful thinking”.
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Mastercard bans cannabis shops stop accepting debit cards