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Exclusive: analysis finds countries pouring money into fossil fuels to fight recessionThe prospect of a global green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is hanging in the balance, as countries pour money into the fossil fuel economy to stave off a devastating recession, an analysis for the Guardian reveals.Meanwhile, promises of a low-carbon boost are failing to materialise. Only a handful of major countries are...

Latest updates: scheme will be reviewed in January to see if employers should contribute more; Sturgeon says tough action starting to have an effectSunak extends Covid furlough until end of March 2021Exclusive: Alok Sharma met Prince Charles after staffer’s Covid resultFamily plead for care home rule change after daughter’s arrestMinister blames public for second English lockdownGlobal coronavirus updates – live 2.24pm GMT The UK’s...

The catastrophe facing the UK is a direct result of our government’s obsession with libertarian issues. Now we must avoid repeating the same mistakesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSix weeks ago, the government was given a stark warning that the nation faced a “very large epidemic with catastrophic consequences”. Only by imposing an immediate two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown could it hope to...

Review finds testing flaws meant support went to many workers who lost no income but not to others who hadRishi Sunak’s flagship scheme to help the self-employed through the pandemic has handed £1.3bn to workers who saw no loss of income while giving nothing to 500,000 people left without work, new analysis has revealed.In a sign of major flaws in the £12.7bn self-employment income...

Boris Johnson refuses to specify how much support region will getCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGreater Manchester will be moved into the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions from midnight on Thursday, Boris Johnson has confirmed as he refused to say whether a £60m offer of support for the region remains on the table following failed negotiations.Speaking at a Downing Street press conference,...

Covid measures are designed to help businesses forced to close their doors over the winterCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHospitality businesses in the north of England have said they will struggle to survive on the new support package unveiled by the chancellor if they are forced into weeks of local lockdowns.Carol Ross, the landlady of the Roscoe Head pub in Liverpool, said...

Media links Covid fight and exit from Europe as the UK adopts jobs support scheme similar to kurzarbeitCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOn Thursday, the UK followed in the footsteps of the German government by adopting a Jobs Support Scheme. The announcement comes as German commentators have spoken of their confusion at the zig-zag approach to tackling the coronavirus, describing a nation...

There is evidence that scheme under which Berlin tops up wages of those put on short-time working is effectiveGermany’s furlough scheme saves firms from freefallCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt all looked so different for Rishi Sunak three weeks ago. After a bleak early spring in which the economy was sacrificed for health reasons, there were signs that the worst might be...

Error and fraud rate for scheme estimated at between 5% and 10%, says HMRC chiefCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government believes it may have paid out up to £3.5bn in wrong or fraudulent claims for the furlough scheme.Jim Harra, the top civil servant at HM Revenue & Customs, said that his staff had calculated for the possibility that as much as...

The prime minister says he is hoping for the best but planning for the worst. We look at key areas of concernCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson’s approach to a winter wave of Covid-19 is to hope for the best but plan for the worst, he said on Friday. The worst-case scenario was spelled out earlier in the week by the...

In wide-ranging interview, PM says jobs furlough not healthy and urges restraint as pubs openBoris Johnson has expressed opposition to removing a statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oxford University, in a rare newspaper interview in which he also said the jobs furlough scheme was not “healthy” for the economy in the long term and would end soon.Speaking to the Evening Standard, the prime minister...

The country’s economy and public health will be paying the price of too-little, too-late policymaking for a long timeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCoronavirus can take many forms. At one extreme, the illness can be mild and fleeting. At the other, and relatively rarely, it can kill. Most commonly, it produces a short respiratory illness, sometimes followed by a pervasive lethargy that...

EU agrees to look for early common ground as PM asks it to ‘put a tiger in the tank’ of talks Boris Johnson has said there is no reason why the outline of a Brexit deal cannot be sealed by the end of July, after he asked EU leaders at a video summit to “put a tiger in the tank” of stalled talks.In a...

UK facing ‘severe recession the likes of which we haven’t seen’, says chancellor Rishi SunakExcess deaths in UK reached almost 55,000 in early May, says ONSChildren in England back to school before contact tracing app rolled outHome test kits run out as eligibility list is expandedExplained: how five-year-olds should be tested for coronavirusGlobal coronavirus updates - live 5.38pm BST Q: What will you prioritise...

The chancellor says the coronavirus job retention scheme will be extended for four months, until the end of October. There will be no changes until the end of July, he says,  and in August, September and October it will continue with more flexibility. Sunak added that 7.5m jobs have been supported by the furlough scheme and almost 1m businesses helpedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all...

Latest World Economic Outlook describes shock of coronavirus pandemic as ‘like no other’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe International Monetary Fund has slashed its forecasts for global growth in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and warned of a slump in output this year unparalleled since the Great Depression of the 1930s.In its half-yearly forecasts, the IMF said the “Great Lockdown” would cause...

Industries like manufacturing could return to normal before entertainment companies, according to Whitehall sourcesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMinisters are looking at ending the coronavirus lockdown with a “gradual sector-by-sector approach” that could see vital industries such as manufacturing get back to work before less critical ones like entertainment, according to Whitehall sources.Two officials said one of the main options being explored...

A singular event has economists asking the same questions as everyone else: how far is there to fall – and can we ever get back?Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt is New Year’s Eve 2019 and around the world stock markets are closing for business on a high note. Shares in the US are up by almost 30% on the year, those...