Your morning briefing: What you should know for Friday, March 20

  • The top stories you’re waking up to
  •  
  • Listen to your Morning Bulletin on Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa smart speakers or via Noa from 7am every weekday

Sunak to unveil wage package rescue plan as Covid-19 pandemic continues to hit businesses

Rishi Sunak is set to unveil an emergency package aimed at protecting workers’ jobs and wages as the coronavirus pandemic continues to hit businesses.

The Chancellor has been under pressure to do more to help the stalling economy and those worst hit by the fallout after the crisis took hold in the UK.

He will reveal new measures today at the daily Covid-19 press conference in Downing Street, where he is expected to be joined by Boris Johnson.

The Prime Minister said he expects the tide to be turned in the fight within 12 weeks and told businesses to "stand by your employees”.

Government publishes official list of key workers who can send children to school

NHS staff, teachers, delivery drivers and police officers are among those on the official list of “essential” workers needed in the UK’s fight against coronavirus.

The Government has published a list of “key workers” whose children will continue to be cared for at school amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was published in the early hours of today, when most schools will shut their gates until further notice under measures aimed at stopping the spread of the killer illness.

Duffy unveils comeback music weeks after telling of rape and kidnap ordeal

Duffy has unveiled her first original song for a decade, just weeks after revealing a rape and kidnap ordeal led to her disappearing from the public eye for years.

The pop star, 35, last month told how she was "raped, drugged and held captive" for several days, adding that many of her fans wondered what happened to her.

Her new song, titled Something Beautiful, was first played by BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley last night.

Weekend of 'wall-to-wall' sunshine before band of rain moves in

Britons are set to enjoy a weekend of “wall-to-wall” sunshine before a band of rain moves in from Monday.

Temperatures plunged below freezing overnight in parts of northern England and Scotland, where people will be waking up to frost.

But it’s looking brighter this afternoon, with sunny spells breaking through before the weekend arrives, the Met Office said.

The sunshine across much of the UK means it will remain dry on Saturday and Sunday. The mercury will peak at about 12C.

D-Day Darlings call for 'bulldog spirit' amid coronavirus outbreak

Britain's Got Talent finalists the D-Day Darlings have urged the public to look to the wartime generation "who are made with that bulldog spirit" amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

Founder and lead singer Katie Ashby said the older generation would be most affected by the virus and subsequent nationwide self-isolation.

She said: "People are going to be losing that physical connection with so many people and we have got to keep them going.”

The singing group, who competed on the ITV reality show in 2018, are releasing Sweetheart, an ode to Dame Vera Lynn to mark her 103rd birthday today.

On this day...

1413: Henry IV, also known as Henry of Bolingbroke, died aged 45 after suffering a stroke at Westminster Abbey.

1549: Death of Thomas Seymour, Lord High Admiral of England, who married Henry VIII's widow Catherine Parr. When she died, he planned to marry Princess Elizabeth - but was arrested for treason and executed.

1806: The foundation stone of Dartmoor prison in Devon was laid by Thomas Tyrwhitt.

1815: After his banishment to Elba, Napoleon returned to regain power in France. It was his "Last Hundred Days", ended by defeat at Waterloo.

1819: The famous and exclusive Burlington Arcade opened in London.

1852: Uncle Tom's Cabin, an anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was published. It became the best-selling novel of the 19th century.

1969: Beatle John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar.

1974: An attempt to kidnap Princess Anne was made by a gunman who fired six shots, then tried to drag her from her car in Pall Mall. He was later charged with attempted murder.

1980: The pirate radio station Radio Caroline, on the ship Mi Amigo, sank after 16 years of broadcasting.

1989: The IRA killed two senior Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in an ambush.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT