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BORIS Johnson has vowed his green agenda will not lead to any new tax rises for hardworking Brits. Speaking exclusively to The Sun the Prime Minister said this year’s Cop26 summit will not hit readers' wallets with new levies on meat or carbon  - but instead “generate high quality, high skill, high wage jobs.” The PM wants the UK to be carbon neutral by 2050 to meet his eco-goals - but has yet to unveil a detailed plan to make it happen. Ministers are drawing up eco plans to bring to the table ahead of the UK hosting the UN's big climate change summit in Glasgow later this year. But there are fears that polluting taxes - currently only aimed at heavy industry, huge power generators and gas-guzzling airlines - will be extended to other parts of the economy that aren't eco-friendly too. Last month Downing Street distanced the PM from Whitehall plans for a meat tax - after MPs and experts rounded on the barmy plans. The row was sparked after Treasury ordered … [Read more...] about Meat prices WON’T rise as Boris Johnson rules out tax hikes for Sun readers under his green agenda

Small businesses will be given help to boost their software and training under a Help to Grow scheme to be announced in Wednesday's budget. The £520m package, the Treasury said, was expected to form part of Chancellor Rishi Sunak's updated Plan for Jobs that he has placed at the heart of the government's COVID-19 support. His speech to MPs is widely tipped to include an extension to furlough aid, currently due to remain in place through April only, as the economy emerges from a winter of widespread disruption. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 'Not the time to increase costs on families or firms' He will speak as official figures place the jobless rate at 5.1% - a five-year high - ahead of reopening strategies that will see a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions UK-wide after Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled his roadmap for England last week. Lockdowns since March last year have resulted in the deepest slump for … [Read more...] about Budget 2021: Rishi Sunak plans £520m Help to Grow scheme for small firms

He was the bad boy ladies’ man who was a fixture on the Coronation Street cobbles for 30 years. Tributes have flooded in for Johnny Briggs , who played Mike Baldwin on the soap, who has died aged 85 after a long battle with illness. The star, whose rivalry with arch-enemy Ken Barlow gripped the nation, after making his debut on the show in 1976 stayed in the role until 2006. After leaving Briggs won the British Soap Award for Lifetime Achievement in May 2006 and was made an MBE in the 2006 New Year Honours list. Bill Roache, who plays Ken, said: “As an actor, Johnny was impeccable, always good, and I was so fortunate to have worked with him for so many years,” he said. “He was a strong character who will be greatly missed.” John Whiston, head of ITV in the north, was also full of praise. He said: “For years Johnny was right at the centre of the show, playing the part of Mike Baldwin and bringing to the role huge energy, dynamism, professionalism and credibility. When … [Read more...] about ‘Johnny Briggs’ charisma made him irresistible to women in Corrie and its viewers’

High street footfall picked up sharply last week, apparently spurred by the announcement of the roadmap out of lockdown as well as sunny weather. Figures from data company Springboard showed visits to retail destinations rose by 11% compared to the week before in what was described as "ever clearer evidence of lockdown fatigue ". Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world Where jobs have been lost across the UK economy High streets saw the biggest increase with footfall up 15.9%, with visits to retail parks up 5.9% and an increase of 6% at shopping centres, the figures for the UK showed. Overall, numbers for the week beginning 21 February were still down year on year by 56.5% overall as non-essential retailers remain closed. A week before, footfall had been 62.1% down on 2020 levels. Advertisement Under the government's roadmap, non-essential retail will reopen no earlier than 12 April. Springboard said there was … [Read more...] about COVID-19: Roadmap out of lockdown helps spur return to high streets

Boris Johnson's roadmap out of lockdown in England should be sped up if things are going well, a top expert claimed today. The Prime Minister has ruled out bringing forward the dates of his four-stage roadmap which pledges to lift all lockdown rules by June 21 at the earliest. But he should change his mind if the vaccine rollout curbs the virus faster than expected, said Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The independent think tank is a leading authority on the Budget which will be announced next week. IFS boss Mr Johnson told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "I think it’s very clear that if things move more quickly, more positively than expected, if we have a very high fraction of people vaccinated and very low levels of infection, then yes it should be sped up. "There’s no need to stick to a date if things go better than expected. "Every month, every week of additional lockdown is costing not just the economy, it’s costing so many people so much … [Read more...] about Lockdown roadmap should be sped up if things are going well, top expert declares