Prof Sarah Gilbert, the scientist who lead the team that created the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, is set for a payday of more than £20m as the biotech firm she co-founded prepares to float on the stock market in the US. Gilbert, who became a household name as a result of her work creating Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine, owns 5.2% of Vaccitech, a Oxford University spin-out company that owns the biotechnology behind the AstraZeneca vaccine and others for Mers, hepatitis B, the virus that causes shingles, and a range of cancers. – Guardian
Retailers have joined pubs and clubs in rejecting Covid status certificates, as the prime minister’s plan faced growing opposition from business and parliament. As fashion boutiques, toy shops and other “nonessential” retailers prepare to reopen on high streets next week, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents thousands of retailers including major chains such as John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, and the New West End Company, which speaks for 600 businesses in central London’s main shopping district, have warned that checking documents at the door would not work. – Guardian
London airports will not need to expand until at least the 2030s after the industry was hammered by Covid, according to bosses at Gatwick – casting fresh doubt over the future of a third runway at rival Heathrow. In a filing for bond investors, Gatwick said that extra capacity will not be needed for many years following a near-total collapse in passenger travel triggered by Covid restrictions. – Telegraph
Wealth taxes, income tax surcharges and solidarity business levies should be considered to support those hit hardest by the pandemic and to tackle rapidly rising public debt, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said. It urged advanced nations such as Britain to consider temporary tax increases to provide targeted support for vulnerable households, including minorities, women and the low-paid. – The Times
A sustainable fund manager has sold its stake in Kingspan in response to failings at the company’s British insulation business that emerged at the Grenfell inquiry. WHEB said it believed that the culture within Kingspan’s UK business had “enabled” or “even encouraged” an attitude that “prioritised commercial advantage over product safety”. – The Times
