Coronavirus

Boris Johnson’s former senior aide Dominic Cummings has warned the prime minister against unlocking England on Monday over fears of a surge in the Indian variant of coronavirus. Cummings shared calls from independent scientists on social media who claim that a lifting of lockdown on May 17 could risk a third wave of the pandemic […]

The government will set up an independent public inquiry with statutory powers into the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Boris Johnson has said. The prime minister told MPs the inquiry would be able to take oral evidence under oath and will place “the state’s actions under the microscope”. Johnson told the Commons: “This inquiry must […]

A “full, proper” public inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic could be established within a year, Boris Johnson has said. The prime minister committed to setting up the inquiry within the new session of parliament which started on Tuesday. Although there is no fixed length for a parliamentary session, they typically run […]

The publishing industry has remained remarkably robust through the pandemic, but the coronavirus has exacerbated some alarming trends for the UK’s literary scene. I only realised this the other day while I was actually doing it, but of all the things I’ve missed during the pandemic – popping out for a pint, going to the […]

Britons living in Spain are being turned away from Covid vaccine centres after not having the correct post-Brexit medical documentation, it has been claimed. British newspapers report that local authorities are turning away those without valid European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Cards (GHIC) and that do not have private health insurance. That is despite […]

There is a strong case for Britain to spend more on international aid, based purely on self interest… yet even that cannot convince the government Last month saw an announcement that could be UK’s most positive impact on the world in decades – a new vaccine, not to tackle Covid-19, but malaria. A team from the University […]

Geoff McDonald recently flew into the UK from South Africa. What he found was chaos, and conditions that seemed ripe for super-spreading Though I was born and raised in South Africa, Britain has been my home for more than 20 years. I have raised a family here, come to know the UK as a wonderful and […]

The eyes of European leaders are on Denmark as it becomes the continent’s first country to fully embrace Covid passports For 27-year-old Nikoline Maria Flørnæss Brandenborg her most recent visit to a Copenhagen bar was a little different from the previous one, five months earlier. The music at Frederiksberg Ølbar was as loud as before lockdown and the […]

After a slow start, millions of people across EU countries are now receiving their vaccine – with almost a quarter of people across the bloc having had at least one dose of a Covid-19 shot. That relatively good news – though vaccine progress still lags far behind that of the UK – is marred by […]

It’s the worst of both worlds – the UK was slow to protect its citizens and now is slow to help others. No-one knows what’s really going on in India. We don’t know the infection rate. We don’t know the death rate. We don’t know what’s going on with the variant. The information that comes […]

Douglas Ross has said that offensive comments attributed to Boris Johnson are “indefensible” but stopped short of calling for the prime minister’s resignation. Johnson has denied accusations that he said “no more ****ing lockdowns – let the bodies pile high in their thousands” in a furious Downing Street rant. Asked about his boss’ behaviour, Ross said […]

Boris Johnson has claimed it is “total rubbish” that he allegedly made a remark suggesting they should let “the bodies pile high” over coronavirus rather than have a third lockdown. He also claimed that the public was “not interested” in what was reported in the newspapers over the matter. Talking to reporters, he said: “What I […]

Downing Street has said it is too busy dealing with the pandemic to launch a public inquiry into its handling of the crisis. In a letter seen by The Guardian to lawyers representing bereaved families, the government said “an inquiry now is not appropriate” because “the very people who would need to give evidence to an […]

Germany’s reputation for ‘efficiency’ was always code for ‘thoroughness’. And Covid has shown that the two are not the same Pity the poor Germans. The pandemic hasn’t just forced the closure of beer gardens just as the sun started to shine again, it has also given the country’s self-image a knocking. For weeks now, local media […]

The EU is on the verge of striking the world’s biggest supply deal of Pfizer’s Covid-19 jabs. The European Commission is finalising the purchase of 1.8 billion doses to supply member states for the next few years. The news comes as the World Health Organisation warned that shots remained out of reach for the world’s […]

David Cameron has hit back at claims Greensill Capital had been begging for access to the government-backed Covid loan scheme. Cameron said it was “nonsense” to say the finance firm has been “in difficulty” when he lobbed on its behalf. But Labour said the company, which later collapsed, had been “desperate for access to taxpayer […]

The European Commission is planning to take vaccine producer AstraZeneca to court over its failure to fulfil its contract with the EU, five EU diplomats have confirmed. The news, first reported by Politico, follows a meeting of ambassadors on Wednesday in which a majority of EU countries said they would support the legal action against the […]

Sir James Dyson has said it is “absurd to suggest” texts he sent Boris Johnson on the tax status of his employees had broken lobbying rules. The BBC reported that Sir James had sent Johnson a series of messages in March last year to get assurances his employees would be exempt from tax rules if they moved […]

The government faces possible legal action after a former Conservative parliamentary candidate was revealed as the contact for a £100 million deal for personal protective equipment (PPE). The contract to supply face masks was awarded in July 2020 to Pharmaceuticals Direct Ltd (PDL) without any competition, although details were not published until March. The Good […]

Researchers argue the divides in England are even stronger than between the different nations of the United Kingdom. For many of us, a national identity is an essential part of who we are. For others, it’s a source of division. National boundaries, like any boundary, imply that some are on the outside. As long as […]

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been told to leave a pub in Bath by its landlord, while on a walkabout in the city. Rod Humphris, landlord of the Raven pub, which is located in the centre of Bath, appeared to be held back by security guards during the incident. He shouted “that man is […]

The Scottish Tory leader has been accused of sharing a “nonsense” excuse for Boris Johnson’s absence in the Holyrood election campaign. Douglas Ross cited coronavirus restrictions as a reason for the prime minister’s absence, despite the fact he visited Scotland in February to tour vaccination centres. The SNP branded the accusations as “nonsense” and said Johnson […]

Boris Johnson has cancelled his visit to Delhi next week, as the coronavirus crisis worsens in India and concerns grow over a new variant there. The prime minister’s already-curtailed trip was scrapped altogether on Monday, with plans for him to instead speak to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi later in the month. Downing Street issued […]

In this second extract from his new book on fairness, BEN FENTON asks how it affects the way we see politics, and how societies have dealt with coronavirus. When did you last vote? At an election? For an MP? A mayor? A president? Perhaps in a referendum? Or did you fill in an online survey about […]

A German MEP has called on EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to “take full responsibility” and resign over the bloc’s “disastrous” coronavirus vaccine programme. Gunnar Back also praised the UK for taking “a different path” to Europe on its vaccine rollout. Beck, an EU lawyer and lecturer at the University of London, said: “She took […]

Boris Johnson has been urged to act after an Indian Covid variant with potentially harmful mutations was discovered in the UK. Scientists said the appearance of the ‘double mutant strain was a “disaster” and branded the prime minister “crazy” for still considering a trade trip to India later this month. Questions have been raised as […]

A former government chief scientist has accused Boris Johnson of privatising the NHS “by stealth” and operating a “chumocracy” which he claims led to the mishandling of the Covid pandemic. Sir David King said he was “extremely worried about the handling of the coronavirus pandemic” and the way in which public money was distributed to private […]

It is essential that lessons are not just identified, but robustly implemented to ensure the UK is more resilient to such events in the future. Where there is much to be positive about regarding the UK’s strong vaccine rollout, a public inquiry into how this pandemic has been handled in the country since the first […]

Britain - with one of the highest death rates in the world - is not the country that should be pointing accusatory fingers.

Amid the furious debate over vaccine passports, we should not lose sight of the simple pleasure of being able to return to the pub. This Easter had the most beautiful soundtrack imaginable: the sound of children playing in the park. I never expected to write such an embarrassing Hallmarks card of a sentence. Until now, […]

Labour is calling for an investigation into Boris Johnson’s verbal attack on London mayor Sadiq Khan during a televised government press conference on coronavirus. The prime minister accused the Labour incumbent of “blowing” Transport for London (TfL) finances through an “irresponsible fares policy”, claims which have been rejected by Khan. The remarks were made from Downing […]

Downing Street has been accused of “abusing BBC neutrality” by hosting daily coronavirus briefings which attack opponents during the election period. The BBC has held urgent talks over the briefings after opposition parties including the SNP accused the prime minister of going on a “political rant” at the latest event. During Monday’s briefing, the prime minister […]