The Transport Department announced yesterday that, as of this weekend, business trips will be permitted without cumbersome quarantine restrictions – so long as they result in a deal which creates or preserves 50 jobs or leads to an investment order of at least £100,000. Yet this morning on LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Business Secretary Alok Sharma said the investment or order needed to be £100 million, £99.9 million higher than what the Transport Department had claimed. Which by Guido’s careful calculation is a 99,900% difference. Sharma even doubled down when Ferrari challenged the figure…

The Transport Department’s briefing was clear that restrictions will be lifted for:

“Foreign based company executives or their representatives seeking to make:
– A financial investment of £100k + in a UK based business;
– Place a contract with a UK based business with a value of £100K +
– Establish a new business within the UK which will create 50+ UK jobs.”

So who was right? It turns out that the policy, devised in BEIS but communicated by DFT, was actually for £100 million not £100,000. BEIS are now explaining that Transport got it wrong. Joined up government…