The Week in Review – 29 June
“Our long national hibernation is beginning to come to an end” In a significant step toward the ‘new normal’, the Prime Minister announced the next raft of lockdown easing measures in England, commencing from 4 July, including the re-opening of pubs, restaurants and hairdressers. The two metre social distancing rule will be modified, moving to […]
Property Market Review – June 2020
THE ‘DEATH OF THE OFFICE’? The coronavirus pandemic has left offices around the world standing empty, with many asking the question whether lockdown and the resulting shift to remote working, could spell the end of the office as we know it. However, according to new research from Knight Frank, this may be a ‘naïve‘ point […]
The Week in Review – 22 June
“There is genuine cause to celebrate a great, British achievement” At Tuesday’s Downing Street briefing, the Prime Minister announced a significant development in the fight against coronavirus. A low-dose, cheap and widely available steroid treatment, dexamethasone, has been found to reduce the risk of death by a third for patients on ventilators and by one-fifth […]
The Week in Review – 15 June
“We must do everything in our power to avoid a second peak of infection” Speaking at the Downing Street briefing last Wednesday, having confirmed the government’s five tests have been successfully satisfied, the Prime Minister announced plans to further ease lockdown restrictions in England. During the briefing he reiterated, “We must do everything in our […]
The Week in Review – 8 June
“Together we rise to fulfil the greatest shared endeavour of our lifetimes” Last week, the UK’s coronavirus death toll surpassed 40,000, a sombre milestone, and only the second country in the world, after the US, to register the grim statistic. Boris Johnson used the UK-hosted Global Vaccine Summit last week to urge world leaders to […]
Economic Review – May 2020
INFLATION FALLS SHARPLY Official data has revealed that the headline rate of inflation in the UK is now at its lowest level since August 2016, as the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues to force price rises down. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) […]
The Week in Review – 1 June
“We can now take careful but deliberate steps to reopen our economy” On Friday, the Chancellor took to the Downing Street podium and confirmed that the Job Retention Scheme will conclude at the end of October. Rishi Sunak set out further details of how employers will have to start sharing the cost from August. In […]
Property Market Review – May 2020
CITY TRANSACTIONS DROP AS INVESTORS TAKE STOCK According to Savills’ latest City Investment Watch publication, transactional volume in the City saw a sharp decline in April, with just three transactions, totalling £149.4m, taking place. This was significantly down on March’s figure of £477.75m. 2020 investment volume was down 39% in April, compared with the same […]
The Week in Review – 26 May
“We must renew our efforts” With another sunny bank holiday weekend approaching, Health Secretary Matt Hancock, took the opportunity at the Thursday briefing to remind the public, “We must renew our efforts…Over the course of this pandemic, people all across the UK have been making difficult but vital sacrifices for the greater good. So, let’s […]
Five million self-employed
Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the number of self-employed in the UK has reached record levels, at five million people, which represents around 15% of all people in employment. If you are self-employed, you won’t benefit from auto enrolment, but you will still qualify for generous tax relief on any […]