Covid Qualms
In recent days Boris Johnson has come under increasing pressure to delay the easing of lockdown, which has been scheduled for the 21st June. The UK wide R number, which is critical to understanding the growth of the virus, has risen, suggesting the virus is circulating more freely in society. Public Health England also announced on Twitter that the Delta Strain (Indian Variant) is now the dominant strain in the UK. The Prime Minister will likely have some difficult decisions to make in the coming days.
There are those who remain confident that the vaccines are working and a level of transmission should generally be accepted, as long as hospitalisations and deaths remain low. If cases continue to rise we are going to see the vaccines efficacy put to the test for the first time.
G7
The UK is hosting the G7 summit in Cornwall next weekend. Ahead of the discussions Chancellor Rishi Sunak is meeting global finance ministers in London. Top of the agenda is the idea of a globally enforced minimum corporation tax. Designed to force large companies to pay their fair share of taxes in the countries in which they operate.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May is also leading a charge against the reduction of the UK aid budget from 0.7% of GDP to 0.5% of GDP. Tory rebels argue that this weakens the UK’s negotiating position when trying to bargain for tougher climate change targets.
Flight of the Concordes
Yesterday US based United Airlines announced it was purchasing up to 50 supersonic jets from ‘Boom Supersonic’. The plane itself is essentially a carbon copy of the original Concorde but with some modern improvements. Capable of flying from New York to London in just three and a half hours it is sending shockwaves through the aviation and travel industry which has, until now, focused on efficiency over speed.
The first passenger flight is scheduled for 2030.
Charlie Souster Senior Account Executive
Benedict Croft Account Executive
