The Prime Minister has announced the early steps towards mandatory lockdown with all non-essential shops closed and provision for unlimited penalites for business owners who breach the rules. Sara White reports

Now that the UK is in a complete nationwide lockdown, enforceable by law, Paul Holcroft, associate director at HR and employment law consultancy Croner, examines five key questions for employers to consider when employees are forced to home work

Amid a deluge of profit warnings and slashed dividends, UK corporates face breaking banking covenants as they struggle to deal with the impact of covid-19, reports Philip Smith

The Bank of England has set out details of how the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) will work for listed FTSE companies, which opened to new applications from 23 March

MPs and accounting professional bodies are calling on the government to put urgent measures in place to help the self employed and sole traders deal with the covid-19 crisis, including a business loan with a 15-year repayment term and extension of the 80% rule to self employed and gig workers

Following the Bank of England’s base rate cut, HMRC has cut the interest rates charged on underpaid corporation tax quarterly instalments and interest paid on overpaid quarterly payments

All tax tribunals at the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) and Upper Tribunal level have been postponed unless proceedings can be held online while parliamentary committees are reviewing their operational procedures, reports Zak Jakubowski

UK GDP is set to decline 2.6% this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but the economy is expected to recover by the second half of 2021 at the latest, according to KPMG analysis

PwC is handling the administration of lifestyle brand Laura Ashley, which has collapsed putting hundreds of jobs at risk, after the outbreak of coronavirus further weakened its financial position

Expats and non doms who find themselves stuck in the UK as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will be able to claim ‘exceptional circumstances’ with regard to their current tax residency status, in cases where they have to stay here for more than the 183 days permitted

The government has introduced emergency legislation to enact a moratorium on commercial landlord sanctions and debt enforcement for at least three months so that those who cannot pay their rent because of cashflow difficulties related to coronavirus will be protected from eviction, reports Pat Sweet

Small businesses will get a refund on statutory sick pay (SSP) during the covid-19 crisis, health minister tells parliament