7:09 am, May 13, 2020
- Here’s your business, motoring and news round-up for Wednesday, May 13
Exercise, sunbathing and house sales back on the menu as England eases lockdown
The government lockdown begins to ease today with people in England now be allowed to spend more time outside or meet a friend at the park.
Changes in the guidelines, which come into force today, allow unlimited exercise, sunbathing and meeting one person from another household in a public space as long as the two-metre rule is respected.
Golf clubs, tennis courts and angling have been given the green light too. Restrictions on how far people can travel to get to the countryside, national parks and beaches in England have also been lifted – but people have been warned to respect local communities, keep their distance from others and avoid hotspots or busy areas.
House viewings allowed under new rules
Property viewings, visits to estate agents and house sales may be seen as a reasonable excuse for leaving home under the new regulations.
Property professionals welcomed the moves, saying they could help to release some of the pent-up demand in the market – with around £82bn of transactions on hold.
The move to unlock the housing market will enable buyers and renters to complete purchases and view properties in person. The government estimates more than 450,000 buyers and renters have been unable to progress their plans since the lockdown.
Coronavirus outbreak hits Toyota profit
Toyota has reported a sharp plunge in fiscal fourth quarter profit as the global pandemic hit vehicle sales and halted production at its factories.
Japan’s top car manufacturer logged a net profit of £478 million for the quarter ended in March, nose-diving 86 per cent from the same period the year before. Quarterly sales slipped 8 per cent to £53.5 billion.
President Akio Toyoda said the company is facing its biggest crisis since the global financial crisis, but said Toyota was learning to grow leaner and make a fresh start.
Companies who break Covid-19 rules face prosecution
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has threatened to come down hard on rule breakers as some people begin to return to work.
Chief executive Sarah Albon told the Downing Street daily briefing yesterday: ‘Inspectors can require businesses to do certain things – enforcement notices, requiring them to take particular kinds of action.’
Business Secretary Alok Sharma encouraged employees who feel unsafe to use the reporting systems in place. He said: ‘Employers have a duty to keep employees safe in the workplace, that is absolutely enshrined in law.’
Self-employment grant scheme to open for applications
Millions of self-employed workers will be able to apply for grants of up to £7,500 from 8am today, with payments due to land within six days.
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant is worth up to 80 per cent of average trading profits for those stuck at home.
It is the biggest direct financial support package for freelancers and the self-employed since lockdown started, and claims for lost work can be dated back to March. The government has not said whether it will be extended in line with the furlough scheme.
MPs make first electronic vote
MPs cast their votes by selecting either ‘aye’ or ‘no’ on the Member Hub system available on their phones and computer in the first House of Commons electronic vote yesterday.
The question simply asked whether or not they believed the House had considered Covid-19 following a two-day debate on the pandemic. They approved the motion by 363 votes to 248, majority 115.
It marks a big departure from the centuries-long tradition in which MPs have been required to walk through division lobbies in the Commons. The remote voting procedure is currently a temporary move as only 50 MPs are allowed in the chamber at any one time.
Transport for London expects to lose more than £4bn
Transport for London (TfL) expects it will lose more than £4bn in revenue this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The transport body said it needs around £3.2bn to balance its proposed emergency budget for 2020/21 and is in ‘ongoing discussions’ with the government about how this should be funded.
It is costing TfL around £600m per month to run its network.
A decline in passenger numbers of 95 per cent on the London Underground and 85 per cent on buses due to the lockdown has caused a 90 per cent fall in income.
Citroen unveils electric e-Dispatch
Citroen has revealed its latest electric model – the e-Dispatch.Completely electric, the van is capable of returning up to 205 miles on a single charge in its largest battery configuration, or 143 miles with the smaller battery.
Set to arrive during the second half of the year, the e-Dispatch will be joined by electric versions of the Relay and Berlingo vans next year, bolstering Citroen’s electric van offering.
Twitter to allow working from home ‘forever’
Social media site Twitter has said employees can opt to continue home working forever after the Covid-19 crisis eases.
The company, based in San Francisco and with a site in London, employs around 5,000 people and said it was among the first to start a work from home model.
In a post on the company’s blog, it said the past few months had shown that having employees complete their duties remotely can work.
Retailers suffer record trading fall as food sales stumble
Retailers saw the sharpest decline in sales on record last month as people stayed at home due to the lockdown and food sales cooled.
The monthly BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor for April revealed that total sales plummeted 19.1 per cent after non-essential stores were forced to shut their doors.
However, food sales also dipped in April, compared with the same month last year, as stockpiling subsided. The survey revealed open stores saw a 5.7 per cent increase in like-for-like sales with online retailers performing strongly.
11,000 new drivers lost their licence in 2019
More than 11,000 new drivers had their licence revoked in 2019 after clocking up too many points.
Of those that lost their licence, 81.5 per cent were male. Some 5,503 of them lost their licence for insurance-related offences, and 2,871 lost them for speeding.
Under the New Drivers Act 1995, motorists lose their licence if they receive six or more points in the first two years of driving.
Vettel to leave Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel said there was ‘no longer a common desire to stay together’ as it was announced he’ll leave Ferrari at the end of the 2020 Formula One season.
Vettel won four successive world titles with Red Bull and it was anticipated he would add to his haul when he joined Ferrari in 2015, but the German has been largely overshadowed by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
Contract talks broke down this week without a resolution and Ferrari announced yesterday a mutual agreement had been reached to part ways.
Warmer weather tipped for weekend
Temperatures in parts of the country could reach 21C this weekend, the first since harsh lockdown restrictions were put into place.
People in England will be able to spend time outdoors, sunbathe and travel to beauty spots from today – even if the weather might not make the idea appealing straight away.
Met Office meteorologist Matthew Box said there would be sunshine for the country today but chilly winds would lead to maximum temperatures of around 15C (59F).
Car Dealer Live: Zeus Capital analyst Mike Allen joins us at midday today
Which musicians top 2020 Sunday Times rich list? This 1:07 video reveals all
Yesterday’s round-up: No guarantee of vaccine; Firms face govt inspection; Furlough to be extended
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