Supermarket chain Asda has joined the growing number of firms demanding staff return to the workplace. Does this signal the end for remote working or is it a new battle line?

For anyone who has recently spent their morning commute nestled under a stranger’s armpit, it may come as a surprise to hear that passenger numbers on public transport have not returned to pre-Covid levels.

What Transport for London calls “ridership” has remained stubbornly stuck at about 90% of the levels seen before the pandemic. A similar picture prevails for light rail and tram systems across the rest of England, as a result of fewer people travelling daily to and from their workplaces.