A review of very recent developments on Covid-19 restrictions in the UK, how these developments may have been influenced/reflected by events in Europe and the potential impact on UK employers. What is the current...more
Lockdowns have fueled a surge in food-delivery businesses, so the initial public offering (“IPO”) of Deliveroo plc (“Deliveroo”) — a UK equivalent to DoorDash Inc. — on the London Stock Exchange was highly anticipated. But on...more
A further update to the HM Treasury Direction concerning the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“CJRS”) was published on 26 January 2021 making some further adjustments to the rules governing its operation. ...more
Following the announcement of its third national lockdown on 5 January 2020, the UK government has updated its guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, stating that employers may furlough employees in circumstances...more
On 4 January 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a third national lockdown in England. The regulations allow the lockdown to continue until 31 March 2021, although the restrictions are expected to be reviewed in...more
In Washington: Two public health experts on President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 task force rejected the idea of broad “lockdowns” like those seen in the spring designed to slow skyrocketing case numbers. Celine Gounder told...more
Ahead of England’s return to national lockdown this Thursday, the UK Prime Minister has announced the extension of support packages for both employed workers and for the self-employed. As reported by us previously the...more
The United Kingdom’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended by one month, replicating the furlough measures previously in place April through July....more
In Washington: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) who have not agreed on much related to the COVID-19 response in recent months, differed again Friday when asked about when...more
The UK Government announced on Saturday evening (31 October) that there will be a new national lockdown from Thursday (5 November) for four weeks. Whilst not as severe as the previous lockdown, many workplaces including...more
In Washington - House Democrats postponed a planned Tuesday to vote on a bill to keep the government funded through 11 Dec. as talks resume with Republicans and the Trump administration....more
In public statements in the early stages of the pandemic, the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice both emphasised the importance for the administration of justice not to grind to a halt as the result of the pandemic...more
The global public health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19 led to governments around the world taking unprecedented steps to intervene in their national economies and to restrict the freedoms of their citizens and...more
The Treasury Department announced on Monday that the U.S. budget deficit hit a new record in June–$864 billion—“as the federal government continued pumping money into the economy to prop up workers and businesses affected by...more
As of May 13, 2020, the release from lockdown has begun in England and we have the proposals for the phases of return. The United Kingdom is now not only Brexiting, but splitting from within in how it deals with COVID-19 and...more
In recognition of growing concerns regarding the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the UK economy and the profound social impact of lockdown measures, the government has this week unveiled its strategy for exiting the...more
On 11 May 2020, the UK government published its COVID-19 Recovery Plan that sets out its proposal to exit the COVID-19 lockdown. Under the Recovery Plan, employees who can work from home should continue to do so, however...more
Employers are now turning their minds to the many and varied issues they need to consider when planning for the end of lockdown - even though of course they will need to wait for details of the precise timing and phasing of...more
Continuing with our series of looking at how the energy sector is being impacted by, and managing, the on-going effects of COVID-19 and the UK lockdown, we review the key updates from the last two weeks....more
Contractual rights agreed in the past may look very different today and may not be enforceable tomorrow, but (strangely) could be in the future. Such are the historic times we are living through. ...more
As we previously reported, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the global workplace and international employer-employee relations in profound ways. ...more
As we draw an end to the first month of the UK lockdown, we have seen committed efforts by the government and regulatory bodies towards addressing the ongoing effects of COVID-19 in a pragmatic and supportive manner. ...more
With the UK Government announcing a nationwide lockdown last week due to the COVID-19 outbreak, businesses and households alike have faced an unprecedented challenge dealing with its impact. As we move into the second week of...more
All forms of movement are under serious threat in the current global climate: with an estimated 1/4 of the world’s population in lock down, this unprecedented government intervention has slashed passenger demand and halted...more
The COVID-19 crisis has led to much uncertainty regarding continuing pay for employees who are unable to work from home, as well as overall job security, in the face of employers’ financial uncertainty....more