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May 11 round-up: PM set to detail plans; Car dealers left confused; Mercedes could head to court

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Time 7:24 am, May 11, 2020

  • Here’s your motoring, business and news round-up for Monday, May 11

PM to detail plans to ease the lockdown to MPs

Boris Johnson will provide more detailed plans to gradually ease the lockdown to parliament this afternoon when the government publishes its official guidance amid widespread calls for clarity.

The PM will face MPs on Monday after offering his ‘first sketch of a road map’ for restarting the economy and social lives in England.


He will give a statement to the Commons, with more information expected on a Covid-19 alert system, use of face coverings and the return of professional football. His announcement last night has been met with mixed reactions.

[Reaction to PM’s speech, 1:06 video]

Experts are split on whether car dealers can open or not


Prime minister Boris Johnson laid out his plans to reopen the economy last night – but car dealerships were left no clearer as to whether they should open or not.

The government actively encouraged those who cannot work from home to restart, which could be seen by some as a green light to re-open car dealerships.

But various experts and car retailers we spoke to were still divided on whether the motor trade could start up again following the PM’s announcement. Read what they told us here.

Mercedes could end up in High Court over ‘defeat devices’

Mercedes-Benz is facing possible High Court action involving thousands of motorists over ‘defeat devices’ it is claimed were put in the manufacturer’s diesel cars to fool emissions tests.

Two firms of lawyers taking similar action against VW, following the ‘dieselgate’ emissions scandal of 2015, are looking into suing Mercedes as well.

Slater and Gordon and Leigh Day are putting together a case against it over vehicles with its AdBlue technology. Mercedes said it believed the claims were ‘without merit’. Read the full story here.

New coronavirus alert system set up 

A new alert system is being established to monitor the threat posed by Covid-19. The system, similar to that used to establish the terrorist threat, will be run by a new Joint Biosecurity Centre.


The UK is currently at level four of the five-tier system, just below the ‘most critical’ threat – the kind that would have seen the NHS swamped by coronavirus cases.

Boris Johnson used his address to the nation to suggest the country was now edging towards level three. The further down the Covid alert level ladder the country goes, the more lockdown measures could be eased.

Retail footfall suffers greatest ever decline

Shopping destinations saw their largest ever decline in footfall last month as shoppers stayed at home amid the pandemic, according to new figures.

Springboard’s latest monthly footfall monitor revealed a ‘decline of unprecedented magnitude’ in April, as the number of people at retail sites plummeted by 80.1 per cent.

The slump was almost double the level of the downturn in March, which posted a 41.3 per cent decline as the lockdown came into force part-way through the month.

French travellers exempt from quarantine plan

French passengers will be exempt from quarantine measures that will come into force in the UK, according to reports by the BBC.

The prime minister said quarantine would be imposed on people arriving by air into the UK, to prevent Covid-19 being brought in from overseas and ‘served notice’ that the measures were coming.

The government told the BBC that a reciprocal deal with the French government meant restrictions would not apply to passengers from France.

Government urged to take stance on face masks

The government is ‘yet to take a positive stance’ on the use of face masks for the general public, one expert has said.

While the PM has insisted that social distancing must be maintained, he did not mention the use of face coverings during his address to the nation.

Trish Greenhalgh, professor of primary care at the University of Oxford, said: ‘The government has yet to take a positive stance on face coverings, which – in addition to handwashing – is probably the one public health measure that could enable us to ease out of lockdown more safely.’

Unions attack PM over mixed messages about return to work

Union leaders have attacked the prime minister’s speech about easing the lockdown, accusing him of sending mixed messages.

Unions have been urging the government for weeks to make sure workplaces are safe, with plenty of personal protective equipment, before the lockdown is eased.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) advised its members not to work if they felt unsafe while Dave Ward, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said the new slogan was ‘meaningless rhetoric’.

[The key soundbites from PM’s speech, 5:29 video]

Decisions on shops reopening should be ‘based on safety’

The government must decide which shops to reopen based on safety rather than considering their size or mode of business.

British Retail Consortium (BRC) chief executive Helen Dickinson said she expects a ‘gradual lifting’ of lockdown measures, with retail workers returning to their jobs some time after schools. 

Emirates airline reports higher profit

The Middle East’s biggest carrier Emirates has announced profits of £232m for the past year, although revenue declined due to pandemic.

The Dubai-based airline said that although profits were up 21 per cent, revenue had dipped by six per cent to £20.1bn for the financial year ending March 31.

Emirates’ Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: ‘From mid-February things changed rapidly as the pandemic swept across the world, causing a sudden and tremendous drop in demand for international air travel.’

Car Dealer Live at midday today: Vincent Tourette, MD, Groupe Renault UK & Ireland; Louise O’Sullivan, Network Operations Director

Yesterday’s round-up: New virus slogan revealed; Tesla factory spat; House prices fall; Greggs plots reopening

James Baggott's avatar

James is the founder and editor-in-chief of Car Dealer Magazine, and CEO of parent company Baize Group. James has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years writing about cars and the car industry.



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