Make EU-r minds up! Von Der Leyen STILL insists AstraZeneca must ‘catch-up’ deliveries to Europe

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen has insisted that AstraZeneca must ‘catch-up’ on its deliveries to the Continent before it is allowed to export vaccines to the UK. EU leaders stopped short of voting for an outright export ban amid bitter squabbling at a crunch virtual summit hosted by Brussels on Thursday evening. Von … Read more

Suez Canal blocked as cargo mega-ship Ever Given runs aground delaying food and vaccine deliveries

A stricken container ship remained stranded in the Suez Canal today in a blockage which could cause ‘catastrophic delays’ to global shipping.  Port authority GAC, which controls traffic through the canal, said workers were still racing to refloat the 1,312ft-long, 175ft-wide, 200,000-ton MV Ever Given after it veered off course in a sandstorm on Tuesday.  … Read more

Ursula von der Leyen threatens to halt exports of vaccines if bloc doesn’t get its deliveries first

Ursula von der Leyen has threatened to halt exports of AstraZeneca vaccines if the EU does not receive its deliveries first, in a worsening row over delayed shipments that has caused international tensions. The EU chief told the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company it has to come through on deliveries to the bloc.  In an interview with … Read more

Deliveries with a NASTY bill from Europe: Shoppers hit by import fees

For consumers, it’s one of the body blows of Brexit. Since Britain left the EU, tens of thousands of shoppers have been hit by a raft of unexpected extra charges when buying goods from websites based in Europe. In some cases, there have been demands of nearly a half as much again on top of … Read more

Home deliveries put convenience stores at risk because so many are too lazy to walk down the street

With its jumbled, tightly packed shelves and seemingly inexhaustible range of products, Kwik Stop Express is the sort of shop that had become an essential part of daily life in British towns and cities. Owner Shahzid Razaq spent 20 years building up the business, rising at five in the morning seven days a week and … Read more

Rishi Sunak to raise income tax, corporation tax and place levy on online deliveries after Covid

Rishi Sunak could launch a tax raid on online businesses – including a green tax on deliveries – as part of plans to replenish the country’s coffers in the wake of the Covid pandemic. The Chancellor is reportedly looking to ‘level up the playing field’ between online and high street businesses as part of a series … Read more

The hunt for ‘beige gold’: Surge in home deliveries has led to a shortage of cardboard

The hunt for ‘beige gold’: Surge in home deliveries has led to a shortage of cardboard… and sent its value soaring six-fold in a year An extra 200million packages were sent to homes in the run-up to Christmas Recycling plants have been hit by Covid cases and social distancing rules Cardboard has risen five or … Read more

Pfizer shrinks deliveries of Covid vaccine doses to Europe

Covid vaccine manufacturer Pfizer is shrinking and delaying its deliveries to Europe while it expands its factory in Belgium. The company makes one of just two vaccines that are being given to the public in the UK and confirmed that Britain would be affected in late January and February. Concerns about vaccine deliveries in the … Read more

UK weather: Supermarkets CANCEL online food deliveries amid heavy snow and ice

Supermarkets have been forced to cancel online food deliveries after heavy snow and ice brought travel chaos to areas of Britain amid concerns temperatures could plunge to -10C overnight. Drivers were urged to stay off the roads with treacherous conditions predicted by the AA if thawing snow turns to ice overnight, with Britons in some … Read more

NHS workers are bumped off vaccine priority list as Pfizer’s HALVES its deliveries

Business Secretary Alok Sharma today admitted only ‘some’ of the 800,000 shots are already in the UK Fears Britain won’t get any more doses of Pfizer/BioNTech’s approved coronavirus vaccine before New Year may have prompted officials to bump frontline NHS staff down the queue, with care home residents now expected to begin receiving their jabs … Read more