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Labour leader calls for ‘moral crusade’ in wake of Covid pandemic to deliver social justice and equalityKeir Starmer has argued that Labour must build “a strong partnership with businesses” if it is to create a more just and equal post-Covid society, saying that for too long the party saw business as “something just to be tolerated or taxed”.In a much-trailed speech setting out his...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

Rightwing governments have denied the problem and been slow to act. With coronavirus and the climate, this costs lives• Coronavirus latest updates• See all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus pandemic has brought urgency to the defining political question of our age: how to distribute risk. As with the climate crisis, neoliberal capitalism is proving particularly ill-suited to this.Like global warming, but in close-up and fast-forward,...

£395m trade boost is aimed at countering China’s spending on the continentBritain has unveiled plans to channel part of the £14bn aid budget through the City as it seeks to exploit the global reach of the finance sector to boost investment in Africa.Details of the £395m package were announced by the international development secretary, Alok Sharma, ahead of a high-level UK-Africa investment summit next...