News and Opinion

Britain’s electoral laws are ‘out-dated, confusing and no longer fit for purpose’, according to the Law Commission. The commission has published a number of reforms aimed at modernising the Victorian-era laws and ensuring that ‘elections are fit for purpose in the 21st century’. Among their proposed reforms are responses to technological developments, such as the […]

Postponing elections can mean politicians not neccessarily good at their job stay in office for longer. But it is impossible to run them without making compromises. TOBY JAMES explains more. Local elections scheduled to take place in England and Wales in the first week of May – including the London mayoral vote – have been […]

A businessman is taking court action against the Brexit Party after failure to pay for election billboards. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage during the general election campaign. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA. – Credit: PA Wire/PA Images Victor Shields, director of Giant Advertising, has provided political billboards for the last 12 years to all major political parties. […]

For some spending two weeks in self-isolation is nothing to fear, for others it fills them with dread. Psychologist SARITA ROBINSON explains how you can avoid letting the situation affect your mental health. People who suspect they may have come into contact with the coronavirus are being advised to self-isolate (stay at home) for 14 […]

An expert has challenged Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan to prove his ‘masters in public health’ after he challenging the UK’s stance on tackling coronavirus. Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland’s national clinical director, clashed with the outspoken breakfast show presenter after the debate focused on the UK and Scottish government’s response to the outbreak. The […]

Peers in the House of Lords have warned of a ‘double whammy’ from the UK from a rushed Brexit and the coronavirus outbreak. Former cabinet minister Lord Hain accused Boris Johnson of rushing towards an ‘extreme, hard Brexit’ since the Tories’ election victory in December. The Labour peer warned this would compound the ‘profound economic […]

The European Union is planning to shut its borders to non-essential travellers for at least 30 days in a dramatic move aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has proposed the measures, which will not apply to the UK. Von der Leyen said: ‘Here in Europe we are […]

With supermarket shelves selling out of hand santiser, it is possible to make your own at home. These scientists give their view on what is required to make it suitable for tackling coronavirus. To slow the spread of coronavirus we’re being told to wash our hands more, preferably with soap and water, or failing that, […]

Retailers have reported a rise in abuse of staff amid coronavirus panic-buying, despite supermarkets calling for calm from shoppers. It comes after a chaotic weekend for retailers, which saw their shelves emptied of essential items such as toilet rolls, cleaning products, dried pasta and tinned food, after the virus outbreak was classified as a pandemic. […]

Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for frontline NHS workers to be tested for coronavirus as a matter of priority. The online petition has gathered more than 25,000 signatures calling for health workers to be tested, so they can keep on working instead of going into isolation if they have a cold. Junior […]

School leaders are due to meet the education secretary to discuss the implications of schools being closed and exams being postponed, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gavin Williamson is expected to meet representatives from the NAHT school leaders’ union, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the Confederation of School Trusts (CST). Ahead of […]

What effect will the warmer weather have on COVID-19? JEREMY ROSSMAN, a lecturer in virology, explains that it could be beneficial for Britain. As the coronavirus death toll continues to rise, some have suggested that the approaching warmer spring weather in the northern hemisphere may slow or even stop the spread of the disease. US […]

Boris Johnson or one of his senior ministers will hold daily press conferences to update the public on the fight against the coronavirus outbreak, Downing Street has said. The prime minister will address the media over the pandemic alongside chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. The first of […]

WILL SELF on mortality, metaphors and the book that might help you deal with the coronavirus pandemic. People terrified of contracting coronavirus and dying from Covid-19 might be better off stocking up on copies of Susan Sontag’s Illness as Metaphor than dried pasta and hand-sanitiser. Indeed, in my more whimsical moments I imagine just this: […]

In an age of social media and 24-hour rolling news, fear is spreading faster than the coronavirus. JACK DEBIEC, an assistant professor in psychiatry, says there ways to slow it down. As cases of COVID-19 proliferate, there’s a pandemic of fear unfolding alongside the pandemic of the coronavirus. Media announce mass cancellations of public events […]

There has been a rush for people to buy hand santiser in supermarkets – but not all of them are effective against coronavirus. MANAL MOHAMMED, a lecture in microbiology, advises to make the most of soap. People can help fight the spread of the coronavirus by continuing to regularly wash their hands with soap and […]

LUNA WILLIAM on how Brexit threatens the Romani community from all angles – including their rights, mobility, support and access to services as well as a rise in discriminatory attitudes. The Romani community is one with a long and complicated history. Since its origin, members have faced prejudice, discrimination and persecution across Europe. Now Romani […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock has denied suggestions the government is attempting to achieve ‘herd immunity’ as a solution to the coronavirus outbreak. Hancock said that ministers would ‘listen to all the credible scientists’ after coming under criticism for not introducing more stringent measures sooner. The government has acted slower than many other nations in ordering […]

Boris Johnson has been criticised over how the government communicates plans to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak and faced calls for greater transparency. Lisa Nandy MP appearing via video link on the Andrew Marr show. Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA Wire. – Credit: PA The prime minister was under increased pressure to publish the data […]

In the week Vladimir Putin backed moves to allow him to stay in office until 2036, broadcaster GAVIN ESLER reports on his new podcast investigating the backstory of the Russian president and the state he has created. Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1970. (Photo by Laski Diffusion) – Credit: Getty Images Winston Churchill famously […]

CHARLIE CONNELLY tells the story of Tamara de Lempicka – a much-travelled artist who thrived on transition. Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti), by Tamara de Lempicka. Picture: Wikipedia – Credit: Archant Not many single images can justifiably claim to define an entire era but Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti) by Tamara de Lempicka […]

Boris Johnson cheerleader Darren Grimes has been mocked on Twitter for claiming the empty shelves facing shoppers across Britain right now is a sign of ‘life under Jeremy Corbyn’. Darren Grimes arrives at the Mayor’s and City of London Court. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA. – Credit: PA Wire/PA Images Brexiteer Grimes, who got caught up in […]

The government is to launch a new advertising campaign surrounding the coronavirus featuring England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty. The public information campaign will hammer home the need for people to self-isolate for a week if they develop a high temperature or a continuous cough. Along with TV adverts voiced by movie star Mark […]

Matt Hancock’s latest coronavirus update has been met with ridicule – after the link he included with an update on his plan required people to pay to read it. Boris Johnson (centre), alongside new Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (second right), Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill (second left), Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey (right) […]

A woman in Cornwall has created a postcard aimed at helping people who are self-isolating during the coronavirus pandemic. Becky Wass, who has created a #viralkindness postcard so people can more easily help people during the coronavirus pandemic. Photograph: Becky Wass/PA Wire. – Credit: PA Becky Wass came up with the idea to create shareable […]

Brexit could mean the UK has to wait longer – and pay more – for a vaccine for the coronavirus, health experts fear. The UK intends to leave European Medicines Agency (EMA) at the end of the transition period, scheduled for the end of the year. But academics and lawyers fear a departure from the […]

While Boris Johnson has appeared to turn to experts for advice over the coronavirus outbreak, it is Dominic Cummings who is still orchestrating the key messaging. Cummings, who wrote in a blog in 2016 that he is ‘particularly interested in public health and the field of epidemiology’, has taken a hands-on role in the government’s […]

MICK O’HARE on a high-octane chapter in European and American motor racing history which changed the sport for good. Action during the Indianapolis 500 USAC Indy Car race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Eventual winner Parnelli Jones (No. 98) leads Jim Hurtubise (No. 56), Bobby Marshman (No. 5), Jim McElreath (No. 8) and Rodger Ward […]

Labour has backed calls for private hospital to be taken over by the state to cope with the impact of coronavirus The GMB union and shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called for the government to requisition beds in ‘plush private hospitals’ to ease the burden on the NHS. Ashworth said it would be ‘completely wrong’ […]

The largest education union in Europe has written to Boris Johnson to request he explains why he is keeping schools open during the coronavirus pandemic. Teachers and staff are increasingly asking why the government is not closing schools in the same way as other countries, particularly now plans are under way to ban mass gatherings, […]

SOPHIA DEBOICK reports on the troubled yet creative Mexican city. Tijuana is a city in crisis. Home to one of the world’s busiest border crossings, it has become a flashpoint in Trump’s border wall war. Its international bridge is a principal point of entry to the US and in this city Mexicans running from the […]

Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece transformed western art. Now, newly-restored and on show, it is dazzling and astonishing all over again. Florence Hallett reports. Artwork by Jan van Eyck. Picture: Lukasweb.be-Art – Credit: Archant To Albrecht Dürer, travelling through the Netherlands on the last major trip of his life, the vast, multi-panelled Ghent Altarpiece was […]