Coronavirus

MPs have come under intense criticism after it emerged they would push ahead with recommendations to up their pay by more than £3,500. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is facing calls to freeze a pay rise for politicians as the rest of the country deals with the economic impacts of coronavirus. IPSA has suggested […]

The effectiveness of England and Wales’s coronavirus app is under the spotlight once again after it was reported that only one alert about an outbreak in a venue has been delivered since the service launched a fortnight ago. People are able to scan codes on posters before entering venues such as pubs and restaurants using the […]

Tory backbencher and former party leader Iain Duncan Smith has questioned Boris Johnson’s claims that he and the public can “defeat the virus”. The Brexiteer said that he did not believe the prime minister could ever manage to do it, instead arguing that he must help Britons to live with the disease. Speaking to the […]

Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice has come out against Boris Johnson’s lockdown measures arguing that if the economy does not shut down for cancer then it should not for the coronavirus. Speaking on talkRADIO, Tice said England and Wales’ coronavirus death rate – which stands at more than 48,000 – needed to be “put into context”. […]

Many years ago now, I was on a panel at a sceptics’ conference with, among other luminaries, professor Richard Dawkins (it’s on YouTube if you look for it). Towards the end of the discussion we were asked if there could be a version of ‘God’ which we could find easier to believe in than those […]

A cabinet minister has refuted calls to provide the science behind the government’s 10pm curfew decision – insisting it was a “commonsensical view”. Robert Jenrick insisted the approach was similar to “well-run, sensible, rational governments” when he was asked to defend the measure. He told Sky News: “There is a commonsensical view that given that the virus thrives […]

There are now fewer than 30 days left until the USA goes to the polls to select its next president: Donald Trump or Joe Biden. That polling day will come just two weeks after Trump should stop self-isolating to protect those around him from catching the deadly illness his White House admitted he’d contracted late […]

A television presenter has criticised a government minister for appearing on BBC Breakfast to say “absolutely nothing”. Charlie Stayt was interviewing Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, about newspaper headlines suggesting large-scale coronavirus restrictions are about to hit the north of England. But rather than explaining what the reports mean and defending the restrictions, Jenrick was […]

A Tory minister has defended Boris Johnson’s 10pm curfew amid calls the government release its scientific advice behind the decision. Prisons minister Lucy Frazer said there had been “opportunities” for ministers to hear the scientific advice. Appearing on BBC 2’s Politics Live, Frazer said it was important MPs get to scrutinise the new rules but that the government […]

Boris Johnson has been urged to consider a “circuit breaker” national lockdown sooner rather than later over fears that the current measures to stop coronavirus are not working. Professor Calum Semple, a member of the government’s scientific advisory panel who specialises in disease outbreaks, recommended a “circuit breaker” be considered on a national basis in […]

Boris Johnson’s approval rating among Tory voters continues to decline as many continue to disagree with his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Less than half (45%) of 2019 Tory voters think No 10 is doing a good job managing the virus while a further quarter (25%) do not think they are, a survey by pollsters Redfield & […]

Spectator editor Fraser Nelson debunked claims put forward by Liz Truss that No 10 has enjoyed several “successes” in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Nelson, who now manages the magazine once edited by Boris Johnson, said polling has shown no citizens were more disappointed in their government’s response to the virus than Britons. The trade secretary and […]

Margaret Ferrier attended a church service and gave a reading to the congregation the day after she developed coronavirus symptoms, it has been reported. The Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP developed coronavirus symptoms and took a test on Saturday September 26. She breached rules by travelling to London the following Monday and taking a train […]

In his brilliant new book Who Enters Politics and Why?, academic James Weinberg provides possibly the most sophisticated analysis of why some people decide to stand for office and others don’t. His research discovers that when it comes to their basic human values, politicians really are “different”. Having spent the summer reading just about every […]

Piers Morgan has accused Rishi Sunak of getting his figures on the number of daily coronavirus tests wrong during an on-air rant. The Good Morning Britain presenter slammed Sunak for saying 250,000 people a day were being tested. “No, you’re not, because you, yourself, said on your previous interview that – you may forgotten what […]

Former House of Commons speaker John Bercow has slammed the government, saying that it is “doesn’t believe in accountability”. Bercow on Good Morning Britain condemned described the coronavirus Test and Trace system as “shambolic at best and non-existent at worst”. Asked whether he thought Johnson is the right man for the job, he replied that it […]

Boris Johnson is facing a sizeable Commons Tory rebellion over the government’s coronavirus restrictions – including the 10pm curfew and “rule of six”. Leading rebel Steve Baker said he does not expect to defeat the government, but instead get ministers to shift ground. MPs will vote on Tuesday, the day the prime minister addresses the […]

MPs have approved a longer autumn recess for the House of Commons. The chamber will adjourn after business has concluded on Friday October 23 and return on Monday November 2. The motion detailing the recess was supported unopposed. MPs will be unable to challenge ministers in the Commons chamber during this period over coronavirus restrictions, […]

A comedian has taken aim at new government restrictions by releasing a hilarious chart mocking the way ministers have come up with new coronavirus rules. Belfast comedian Paddy Raff tweeted a table which asks participants to make up their own coronavirus laws. Dubbed the “government COVID-19 Law Generator”, users answer three questions, such as what your and your […]

James O’Brien has compared Dido Harding to Rodney Trotter from Only Fools and Horses after a “technical glitch” was blamed for 16,000 Covid cases going unreported. The LBC presenter laid into England’s test and trace chief after Public Health England (PHE) admitted 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were left out of daily case figures. […]

Dido Harding – the Tory peer in charge of the new Test and Trace scheme  – has been urged to either resign or be sacked over coronavirus testing failures. The government is under fresh scrutiny after 16,000 Covid-19 cases went unreported and led to a delay in efforts to trace contacts of people who tested positive […]

The SNP’s Westminster leader has told one of his own MPs to stand down, urging her “to do the honourable thing” as calls for her resignation increase. Ian Blackford has called for Margaret Ferrier to resign her seat after it emerged she travelled between Glasgow and London with coronavirus. Ferrier said in a statement on Thursday […]

Wealthy seats and new Tory strongholds have evaded lockdown despite having higher infection rates than areas experiencing tighter restrictions, leaked emails have shown. Emails between health officials leaked to the Sunday Times show there is growing pressure to explain why large parts of the Midlands and the North are under local lockdowns while seats such as the prime minster’s […]

A minister has said she does not know how many people were contacted after after a technical glitch meant almost 16,000 Covid-19 cases went unreported in England. Public Health England (PHE) said a technical issue resulted in 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 being left out of the reported daily coronavirus cases. Senior […]

The chancellor has said he has “no regrets” over the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, despite reports it could have spread coronavirus infections. Rishi Sunak was dubbed Dishi Rishi after unveiling his August scheme of subsidised meals out to help a pub and restaurant sector badly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Treasury figures show more […]

Boris Johnson has joined the row over an SNP MP who made a “monumental” error of judgment by taking a train from London to Scotland when she knew she had tested positive for coronavirus. The prime minister was asked about Margaret Ferrier on BBC Scotland when he replied that it was vital that “everyone obeys the rules […]

The Green Party’s leadership has avoided referencing Brexit or membership of the European Union as it pitched its vision to supporters as part of this year’s virtual conference. Co-leaders Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry instead used their conference speech to focus on the pandemic response.  Bartley said the action taken in response to the crisis had […]

A new poll has found that three quarters of the British public want to see the government’s programme of mass testing – dubbed ‘Operation Moonshot – run by the NHS and public health protection teams rather than private companies. The poll, conducted by Survation, found that 78% of people want to see the logistics of […]

A Tory Brexiteer MP has told Matt Hancock he needs to “start acting like a Conservative” in the House of Commons. The comments were made in anger to the proposals from the health secretary to tackle the coronavirus. In a clash in the House of Commons, backbencher Philip Davies stood up in front of MPs […]

Tory backbenchers are plotting a new rebellion over coronavirus restrictions – this time over the 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants. Rebels are reportedly looking to force a vote on the issue, the Telegraph reports, after MPs in Boris Johnson’s own party accused him of presiding over a “nanny state”. Steve Baker, one of the […]

US president Donald Trump and first lady Melania have tested positive for coronavirus and are in quarantine, days after the politician mocked his rival for wearing face masks. Trump announced his diagnosis in a tweet in the early hours of Friday, following a positive test from one of his closest aides. Hope Hicks returned a […]

At the height of the last pandemic to hit the UK – the 1987 AIDS crisis – the government released a terrifying ad. At its conclusion it showed a huge tombstone, upon which was engraved the message: “DON’T DIE OF IGNORANCE.” The campaign was deliberately engineered to be terrifying (one TV spot featured a volcano), […]