McLaren, based at a plush factory in Surrey designed by renowned British architect Norman Foster, is also talking to third parties about further boosting its working capital.

EasyJet is heading for its biggest showdown yet with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou amid growing speculation in the City that the airline may ask investors to stump up rescue cash.

There are mounting calls for super-rich fat cat executives to play a bigger part in shouldering the financial burden stemming from the crisis, which will end up hitting taxpayers hard in the pocket.

The retailer announced it would reopen its Lancashire textiles factory to make 8,000 washable gowns for Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust over four weeks.

The Investment Association said firms will need 'to take account of their individual circumstances particularly considering the impact on their stakeholders' when deciding executive pay.

Following a row over the cost of new planes, Haji-Ioannou is trying to oust chief executive Johan Lundgren and chairman John Barton at an extraordinary shareholder meeting on May 22.

Novacyt has inked a deal with the Department of Health to provide it with 288,000 tests a week. And Omega Diagnostics has made fresh strides in the race to roll out antibody tests.

Paracelsus Recovery said the rise in requests was mostly from high-flying businessmen who were struggling to adapt to their new style of life.

Treasury officials and the City watchdog expressed concern after it emerged a company is charging £500 upfront, then a percentage of the value of the loan if the application is successful.

Royal Mail is poised to benefit from the new reliance on web sales. Citigroup Analysts bestowed a rare double upgrade on the 504-year-old postal service, moving it from 'sell' to 'buy'.

Many had been worried BP would have to cut or axe the payout after oil prices began tanking in late January. But the energy giant has raised the amount it will give to shareholders.

Chief exec Steve Rowe (pictured) will still take his full £810,000 salary plus bonuses this year despite asking long-suffering savers and the taxpayer to prop up the ailing business.

Coronavirus has wiped out demand and IAG believes it will take several years for air travel to recover to 2019 levels.

Firms are accusing each other of 'profiteering' from the pandemic. An estate agency in the Lake District sparked a debate after it said it had completed a viewing on a £1.25m home.

The group, which has scrapped its dividend for shareholders and furloughed 16,500 staff, saw its share price jump over 19 per cent earlier today.

Dubai-based DP World says P&O needs the emergency cash to avoid collapse during the virus crisis.

While the group got off to a strong start this year, social distancing, Government lockdown interventions and economic uncertainty have started to take their toll.

Staley (pictured with wife Debora) said the coronavirus would have a lasting impact on where staff work. Around 70,000 of Barclays 80,000 employees are working from home.

Over the last 17 years Rolls (pictured) and his business partner, chief exec Tim Warrillow , have transformed the market for tonic waters - and created a stock market darling.

On another bleak day for the sector, Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury predicted it could take 'three to five years' for passengers to be as willing to fly as before the crisis.

The FTSE 100 index rose 156.75 points to 6115.25, closing above the 6000 mark for the first time since early March, despite data showing the US economy shrank 4.8 per cent in the first quarter.

The US social media group said 14m more users are using its platform every day compared to a year ago, taking the total number to 166m.

Laxman Narasimhan, chief executive of Reckitt Benckiser, said sales of condoms had been hit in the UK and Italy - but not in China, where restrictions are being lifted.

Tesla's factory in Fremont, California, has been closed since March 24 as part of a government clampdown, requiring people to stay indoors to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Stephen Lansdown found the company's stock was so sought after that, when he launched his latest sale of shares, he had to increase the amount up for grabs twice.

The billionaire, 48, made the comment yesterday in a string of tweets that also saw him reveal he was selling all of his possessions and demand that authorities give people back 'their freedom'.

Sam Fischer spent £479,000 exercising options to buy 28,000 shares at 1709p. He later sold the stock at 2663p, netting £267,000. Diageo's market value has fallen 14 per cent this year.

The fast food business's 1,350 restaurants have been closed since the Government brought in lockdown measures in March due to concerns over staff and customer safety.

Deloitte's survey of 104 finance chiefs found that 84 per cent were less optimistic about prospects, compared with 47 per cent three months ago - the survey's biggest drop in confidence on record.

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou urged them to back his bid to oust four directors at a meeting on May 22 as he thinks the order is a waste of money with the balance sheet already under threat from coronavirus.

According to the FTSE All-World Index, which measures the performance of thousands of companies around the world, global stocks grew at their highest monthly level in nine years.

Sunweb is said to have initially offered customers a full refund by March 31 after Tomorrowland Winter at the French resort Alpe d'Huez, was called off because of the coronavirus.

The firm said that closing its stores in March has had a 'material impact' on trading and the company has initiated a 'broad range of actions to manage its costs and cash flow'.

In an indictment of the failure of the Government's original aid schemes to help many businesses, lenders received tens of thousands of applications for the new 'Bounce Back' loans within hours.

The engineer needs to shore up its finances after global air travel was brought virtually to a standstill by the coronavirus pandemic.

The former FTSE 100 hospitals provider crashed into administration after a series of extraordinary revelations, including that it was harbouring billions of pounds in secret debt.

William Hill is benefiting to the tune of over £30m per month from the wage subsidy scheme and the business rates holiday, while Paddy Power is saving £400,000 per month in business rates.

Serial investor Vin Murria, an adviser at Hgcapital, bought 13.25 per cent of the AIM-listed company's shares on April 30, according to a stock market announcement yesterday.

The online grocer awarded a £58m pay packet to chief executive Tim Steiner last year, and will give him a bonus of up to £100m over five years if its share price continues to rise.

The grocer said its decision to stop people ordering bottled mineral water helped it complete 6,000 extra orders a week.

The Lloyd's of London insurer was a top FTSE 250 riser after placing the 57.6m shares, priced at 650p. This was 6 per cent cheaper than its share price the day before the fundraising launched.

Just hours after the online grocer revealed sales have jumped more than 40 per cent in the last five weeks, it emerged that 29.7 per cent of investors had voted against top pay at the company.

The US giant said it will reopen its Shanghai Disneyland park on May 11 but severely limit the number of guests and enforce strict social distancing measures on rides and in restaurants.

Chief executive Philip Jansen, who recently recovered from Covid-19, said a new target of full fibre to 20 million homes by the mid to late 2020s is now in place.

FTSE 100 closed up 1.4 per cent or 82.22 points at 5,935.98 and the pound was at $1.23 against the dollar.

The FTSE-listed group will struggle after the number of hours its engines spent flying in April fell by 90 per cent. Across the first four months of the year, flying hours dropped 40 per cent.

The products and services provided by the big tech firms are deeply embedded in the lives of individuals and the business practices of companies.

What does the terrible economic data tell us about what shape the recovery will have? And is it too late for too many companies?

The anti-viral solution leaves a protective layer that bonds to the surface, creating a safer environment in shared spaces such as restaurants, bars and shops.

IAG said it is 'planning a meaningful return to service' in July. But it conceded the plans were 'highly uncertain and subject to the easing of lockdowns and travel restrictions' globally.