The Weekly Briefing - 11 May
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Headlines
BBC News
Coronavirus: Hugs with loved ones as PM confirms England's biggest step back to normal
People in England will be allowed to hug loved ones and enjoy indoor hospitality from next Monday, the PM has said - whilst urging people to "exercise caution and common sense". Boris Johnson said this was the "single biggest step" to unlocking society but that people should remain vigilant. Indoor mixing and overnight stays in groups of up to six people or two households will also resume. Leisure venues such as cinemas, museums and children's play areas will reopen. Read
The Guardian
Angela Rayner vows to reconnect Labour with working class voters
After a bruising weekend where she battled the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, over a planned reshuffle and emerged with a new shadow cabinet brief and licence to set out her own stall, Rayner said the party must speak to the people on minimum-wage jobs who she grew up with. Read
UK economy to suffer £700bn output loss due to Covid and Brexit, thinktank warns
Britain’s economy is on track to suffer more than £700bn of lost output caused by Covid-19, made worse by the government’s mishandling of the health emergency and Brexit, one of the UK’s leading economics thinktanks has warned. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said the UK was facing worse permanent damage than other rich nations due to a “poor Covid-19 response” from Boris Johnson’s government. Read
The Independent
Record growth in renewable power in 2020 set to become ‘new normal’, says IEA
Last year, renewable sources of electricity such as wind and solar grew at their fastest annual rate in two decades – “defying” the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global economy. A new analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that this level of growth is set to continue in 2021 and 2022. Read
The Financial Times
UK consumer spending rises above pre-pandemic levels for first time in 2021
The April uptick driven by many sectors reopening and older people booking holidays. Read
The Fashion Roundtable Focus
Vogue US
How Bethany Williams Is Building a New Fashion World
The designer and Fashion Roundtable Ambassador speaks to US Vogue about becoming the winner of the British Fashion Council and British Vogue’s Designer Fashion Fund. As the victor, she will receive a £200,000 grant to grow her business and appear in the June issue of British Vogue alongside the other finalists. “I didn’t think we were going to win, so I was really, really shocked about it,” Williams said giddily. “There are so many amazing designers; it’s amazing just to be alongside them and to be included in the group.” Read
ShareCast
UK retail sales rise after easing of lockdown
UK retail sales rose 7.3% in April, boosted by strong demand after non-essential stores reopened, industry figures showed. The rate of growth from April 2019 was above the three-month average of 6% as pent-up demand and increased confidence enticed shoppers back to stores after more than three months of lockdown, the British Retail Consortium said. Read
Vogue Business
Beyond the bubble: Making NFTs work for fashion
Is the NFT gold rush over already or is it just beginning? While the days of easy money are over, fashion brands can still make a splash in the NFT world. Read