7:50 am, June 11, 2020
Here’s your business, motoring and news round-up for Thursday, June 11
Two-metre rule under review
Britain could follow World Health Organisation advice and cut the two-metre social distancing rule in half.
Boris Johnson is considering introducing the new guidance in time for schools fully reopening by September.
Yesterday, the prime minster said he would keep the ‘two-metre rule under constant review’, while later in the day at the Downing Street Briefing, Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser, said the two-metre advice was ‘not a rule’.
O2 rolls out 5G to 60 cities
Mobile network operator O2 has launched its 5G service in 60 towns and cities across the country.
Aberdeen, Brighton and Oxford were among the most recent cities to receive 5G.
O2 had originally planned for 50 locations and has achieved its latest milestone despite a number of 5G mast attacks by conspiracy theorists.
Drivers struggling with post-lockdown driving
A fifth of motorists have struggled to get to grips with driving again after being off the road during lockdown, a new survey of 2,000 drivers by Hyundai has found.
Some 18 per cent say they have struggled to get back to normal behind the wheel of a car. Of those people,
28 per cent had stalled their car, 21 per cent had scraped their wheels on the kerb and 21 per cent forgotten to indicate.
Almost half of those surveyed were concerned that the standard of road users’ driving will be worse now restrictions have started to be lifted, and more than four in 10 (44 per cent) think road users have been driving faster during lockdown.
Busy Luton but Ellesmere Port remains shut
Groupe PSA has added a third shift to its Luton van plant.
The firm says this is to meet demand for Vauxhall and Opel Vivaro, Peugeot Expert and Citroen Dispatch vans.
The extra workers needed for the shifts will be found by relocating staff from Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port factory, which will not open until September at the earliest. Read more
Young adults expect wage cuts and redundancy
More than a third of young adults expect to earn less or even lose their job completely this year, a new survey has found.
Some 17 per cent of 18 to 24-year olds expect their jobs to be made redundant, while a further 18 per cent believe they will be paid less or be expected to work fewer hours, comparethemarket.com has found.
Over 20 per cent of young adults also said they had struggled to pay bills in the last week alone.
Tesla shares rise
Shares in Tesla jumped by nearly nine per cent, yesterday.
Tesla stock closed at +8.97 per cent at $1,025.05, trading as high as $1,027.48, boosting the company’s market cap to $190bn.
The rise came at the same time as company founder Elon Musk expressed his wish for Tesla to “go all out” in building its new electric lorry.
Ocado eyes up £1bn investment
Online grocer Ocado is two tap investors for £1bn after a surge in sales.
Thanks to increased sales during lockdown, the firm has said it plans to secure £657m through a share placing and is looking to secure a further £350m in bonds.
As families were forced to stay home, Ocado saw a 40.4 per cent rise in retail business in three months to May 6.
Make homes for efficient to boost economy
Calls have been made for the government to invest £2.8bn in making homes more energy efficient.
The Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group is urging the government to lead a ‘green’ recovery to stimulate the economy and tackle climate change.
The report calls for a focus on measures to improve homes and cut bills and emissions from buildings, including installing loft and solid wall insulation, double-glazed windows and energy-saving heating controls and lighting, as well as clean heating technology such as heat pumps.
Car Dealer Live: SW Car Supermarket’s Anton Kahn & John Marshall will be with us at midday today. Tune in on this website at lunchtime.
- Friday: Nissan UK MD Andrew Humberstone
- Monday: Mazir Ali, Belle Vue
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