Coronavirus

Downing Street has denied that NHS Test and Trace delays in alerting local authorities in hotspot areas to positive cases helped contribute to the spread of the Indian variant. It follows a report by the BBC that for three weeks in April and May, eight local authorities in England – including Blackburn with Darwen – […]

Senior officials were “hounding” colleagues over the approval of a PPE supply contract worth a quarter-of-a-billion pounds to a hedge fund with “close ties” to the government, the High Court has heard. The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor are bringing legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), claiming that contracts awarded […]

Fully vaccinated UK holidaymakers could be given the green light by EU ambassadors to visit the bloc this summer, but there is confusion over the government’s policy on international travel. The ambassadors are meeting on Wednesday to discuss easing restrictions on non-essential trips into the EU. Portugal and Greece are among the countries that have […]

The government can keep the amount of public money spent on unusable personal protective equipment (PPE) from two companies confidential, the High Court has ruled. The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor are bringing legal action against the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) claiming that contracts awarded to PestFix, Clandeboye and Ayanda Capital were […]

A nurse who looked after Boris Johnson when he was seriously ill with Covid-19 has resigned, citing the government’s 1% pay offer and its lack of respect for the profession. Jenny McGee, who cared for the prime minister in intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London, told how she found the prime minister […]

A legal challenge over the government’s decision to award more than £650 million in contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) will be heard at the High Court. The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor claim contracts awarded to PestFix, Clandeboye and Ayanda Capital were given unlawfully at the height of the first wave of the coronavirus […]

The demise of some social distancing measures might be celebrated by some, but for others they will be hard to say goodbye to Have you updated your online shopping basket? Listerine? Right Guard? Extra chewing gum? Are you ready for Huggy Monday and the advance of the personal space invaders? With more guests allowed at […]

An anti-lockdown politician has young crowds chanting her name in the streets and the ruling Socialists on the run As midnight struck on Saturday hundreds of young people headed for the Puerta de Sol in downtown Madrid to celebrate the lifting of Spain’s state of emergency. They danced congas and partied like it was New […]

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 […]