Russian aggression and changes to travel list

Aeroplane Interior

Travel list changes Next week an updated travel list will be published. The list is expected to contain some new additions to the green list; Malta, Madeira and the Balearic Islands. Good news for Brits looking for some summer sun. Due to an increase in the spread of the Delta variant, Israel is also expected […]

Covid Qualms, G7 and Flight of the Concordes

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 […]

Fears about the Indian variant and a ceasefire in the Middle East

Shoulder of someone in PPE with a vaccination

Indian Strain The Indian variant of Covid-19 is unsettling many in Whitehall. Just as Boris Johnson was announcing the relaxation of Covid rules across England, others, primarily SAGE scientists, were raising their concerns over the new variant. The new, highly transmissible, mutation is most prevalent in Bolton, where local authorities have broken with government advice […]

Smith Square Special: Election results and what they mean

Mayoral Results As widely predicted, Sadiq Khan (Labour) won his second term as Mayor of London rather comfortably. He won 55.5% of the popular vote after heading into a run-off with Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey. In third place was Green Party candidate, Sian Berry. Further down the scoresheet were the Liberal Democrats who lost their […]

Mayoral Elections, Sleaze Scandal and India in need

Boris Johnson

Boris denies sleaze allegations Leading the week are allegations that the PM said: “let bodies pile high in their thousands” in reference to avoiding a third national lockdown. He and his allies are denying the allegations. The trouble is, not many people believe the Prime Minister, after all, he does have a checkered history of […]

Green New Deal, an Indian variant and fears for European football

Football

Boris cancels trip to India Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled a scheduled trip to India this week after the emergence of a new variant in the country was linked to India’s recent surge in Covid cases. The country has been reporting over 200,000 cases per day since the middle of April, the capital Delhi […]

NHS Pay, vaccine diplomacy and £37bn gone without a trace

Row over NHS pay intensifies The backlash over the Government’s decision to raise NHS pay by only 1% has rumbled on for a second week. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has challenged the Prime Minister to put it to a vote in Parliament, saying that: ‘Even his own MPs know he’s got this wrong’. Boris […]

Sturgeon in hot water, expenses and the budget

Sunrise over Westminster

Sturgeon in hot water  Scottish First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has faced calls to resign over new revelations in the Alex Salmond saga. Two former aides refuted her version of events and it was revealed that lawyers for the SNP advised the government that it was likely to lose any legal case they bring against the former First Minister.  With a little […]

Communicating through Coronavirus – 6 lessons for the future

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The way we’ve communicated and what we’ve communicated during the coronavirus sums up who we are and what we stand for. So, what are communications takeaways from coronavirus that we can take forward into new norm. Here’s six for starters based on our advice to our clients. 1. Be clear, transparent and factual in your […]