News and Opinion

We cannot expect the pandemic to fllow the course of the SARS outbreak. CONNOR BAMFORD explains why The cancer doctor professor Karol Sikora recently claimed that the Covid-19 pandemic would ‘burn itself out’. His thinking is that if there are more infections than we realise, and that those milder, unrecorded infections result in robust immunity, […]

The first ministers of Scotland and Wales have called on the government to extend Brexit trade talks to allow more time to deal with the effects of the coronavirus crisis. Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford wrote to the prime minister saying that leaving the talks without a deal would be ‘extraordinarily reckless’ given the current […]

The official human rights watchdog is launching legal action to review the Home Office’s ‘hostile environment’ policy which led to the Windrush scandal. The Equality and Human Rights Commission said it was using its statutory powers to carry out an assessment of whether the Home Office complied with its public sector equality duty in drawing […]

Labour has accused Priti Patel of using her Indian heritage to undermine concerns that Black Lives Matters protesters have about racism in this country. Around 33 Labour MPs wrote a letter to the home secretary accusing her of ‘gaslighting’ the protesters with her own experiences of prejudice. The letter came as Patel is accused of […]

A business leader has issued a stark warning that thousands of British businesses face going under if Brexit talks end in stalemate. The outgoing head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Carolyn Fairbairn, said that firms simply could not contend with the effects of the coronavirus and a possible no-deal Brexit. Speaking to the […]

A Tory politician has claimed a tweet using a white supremacist slogan during the Black Lives Matter protests was ‘taken out of context’. Tory councillor Simon Lumley used the #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag as people took to the streets of the UK in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the killing of George Floyd. Lumley, […]

LBC has announced it will not be renewing its contract with Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage. In a statement released on social media, the radio station has said Farage will be stepping down ‘with immediate effect’. It said: ‘Nigel Farage’s contract with LBC is up very shortly and, following discussions with him, Nigel is stepping […]

The wife of a former Putin ally has become the biggest ever female donor to the Tory Party, handing over £1.6 million in the last five years, again raising questions about the status of a report looking at Russia links in British politics. Lubov Chernukhin, who married former Russian finance minister Vladimir Chernukhin, recently donated […]

Who is on the BBC Question Time panel tonight? Here’s your full guide Tonight’s Question Time comes virtually from Cardiff, with audience members submitting questions from the Welsh capital via video. But who’s on the panel? Here’s your complete guide… Robert Buckland Who? Justice secretary Mid-ranking Cabinet minister who was a media regular for the […]

A video has emerged of Rory Stewart being ‘proven right’ on claims that Boris Johnson pursued a policy of herd immunity during the initial phases of the coronavirus outbreak. In footage recorded back in March, Stewart said the government had been pursuing a strategy of herd immunity and that it was the wrong decision. “What’s being done in […]

The right try to lambast the left as calculated phonies, but fail to see the hypocrisy in their adoration of ‘silently’ held beliefs, argues STEVE ANGLESEY. EMPATHY: Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion take a knee in solidarity with the worldwide Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd. Photo: Getty Images – […]

Debates about statues and social distancing suggest Britain is once again going to miss the opportunity to actually engage meaningfully on the issue of race, says BELLA FRIMPONG. Britain’s history and its informal policy of chronically denying its role in years of racism, colonialism and imperialism and their impacts, are finally catching up with it. […]

Beset by Brexit and menaced by Putin, Europe once again needs the support of a global-thinking America. With Joe Biden, there may be hope, says BARNABY TOWNS. In so many ways — from immigration and exploration to conquest and exploitation — the United States is an extension of Europe. An Italian, Christopher Columbus, placed America […]

A minister has claimed he had ‘no idea’ how a Tory donor and property developers ended up seated next to the housing secretary at a Conservative Party dinner, shortly before approving the development of 1,500 homes that was said to be worth £1 billion. The Westferry Printworks redevelopment scheme in east London was controversially approved […]

GLEN O’HARA cautions against drawing premature conclusions over the politics of the pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has hit the United Kingdom worse than most other countries. The raw numbers are staggering. Last week the number of confirmed deaths passed 40,000, and if we take estimated excess deaths from the virus – the difference between ‘usual’ […]

The government went into this crisis with the country pulling together. As it falls apart, ministers have only themselves to blame, says JAMES BALL. As it became clear coronavirus would not be contained, would become a pandemic, and would hit Britain, there were those of us who said its arrival would mean doing something previously […]

Michael Gove has denied that the government are gambling with the prospect of a no-deal Brexit. Michael Gove told MPs there has been ‘sadly no movement’ on key Brexit negotiation areas, including fisheries and the ‘level playing field’. Speaking about the most recent round of talks, he told MPs: ‘Both sides did engage constructively, there […]

Boris Johnson is one of the worst Covid leaders on the planet, says ALASTAIR CAMPBELL, Here ten ways the government has failed the country are laid bare. A reminder of the 10-point guide to crisis management that I set out, almost three months ago, when Boris Johnson was assuring us that we should trust him […]

The Liberal Democrat leadership election could decide who becomes PM, says ANDREW ADONIS. With front-runner Ed Davey’s support, Keir Starmer stands his best chance. “Unless the Lib Dems swing decisively behind Labour, both in ideology and electoral tactics, it is hard to see a winning strategy for Keir Starmers Labour party in the 2024 election.” […]

Boris Johnson is treating the UK ‘like a laboratory’ by ignoring what has worked in other parts of the world in his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Professor Ellis Cashmore from Aston University was left distinctly unimpressed by new announcements on the easing of the lockdown. He told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: ‘We have a prime […]

Matt Hancock’s rambling answer on the diversity in Boris Johnson’s cabinet in a television interview has been ripped apart by comedian Michael Spicer. Hancock’s appearance on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday, where he struggled to show the government understands the needs of BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) people, has become the feature of […]

A Tory minister has dismissed accusations that his government had mishandled the coronavirus outbreak, blaming the high death toll on the number of international travel visitors. Simon Clarke, who serves as a communities minister, defended the Tory administration against claims it had implemented lockdown too late and that quarantine rules should have been imposed much […]

At least in their rhetoric, the European Commission seems to have understood the significance of this crisis, but Quaker MARTIN LENG says a greater international effort is needed to save the world. When coronavirus struck Europe, the EU was mid-way through negotiating its Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF), a broad-strokes agreement between Europe’s leaders about how […]

Tory peer Matthew Ridley has called for a in-depth inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus epidemic. The Brexiteer said he feared MPs were covering their involvement in the debacle, urging the government to act. ‘[The] problem that we’ve got is that both politicians and scientists are frantically putting stuff out there to help […]

Council officials investigating the estate where Dominic Cummings’ lockdown cottage was based found ‘historic breaches of planning and building control regulations’ but said no further action would be taken. Durham County Council received a series of complaints about the properties on his parents’ farm, on the outskirts of Durham City, where the Downing Street adviser […]

A Tory politician has sparked a backlash after reigniting a disagreement over her party’s stance on gay marriage. https://twitter.com/Baroness_Nichol/status/1270703409931452416 Responding to a question over gay marriage on Twitter, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne – a life peer since 1997 – said she voted against the legislation put forward by the coalition government 2013 because she feared […]

Radio presenter James O’Brien says Boris Johnson’s praise for his approach to the coronavirus is the most remarkable thing he has ever heard in the Commons. Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer met for another round of PMQs on Wednesday where they debated the government’s coronavirus response and return-to-school plans. During the debate, Johnson […]

One of the scientists that convinced the government to eventually implement the coronavirus lockdown said if it had been done a week earlier the death toll would have been half. Neil Ferguson, professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London, told the Science and Technology Committee that a quicker implementation of the restrictions could have […]

The EU’s chief negotiator has again warned the UK government it is attempting to ‘cherry pick’ the benefits of staying in the EU while wanting to leave the bloc. Michel Barnier explained: ‘Sometimes I hear people in the UK public debate say the EU has unreasonable positions but they’re only unreasonable for those who refuse […]

A customs expert has warned that Britain’s borders are unprepared to deal the impacts of leaving the Brexit transition period. Trade expert Dr Anna Jerzewska told MPs the UK faced serious challenges in securing its border when the Brexit transition period ends on December 31 and that customs officials ‘weren’t entirely sure’ on how to […]

A majority of European countries have now re-opened schools. SAJAD MAHMOOD, chief executive of Charity Right, says the UK must not lag behind on getting children back into education. The cordoned off play area and equipment of a primary school in London. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA Wire. – Credit: PA Many of us have a first-world […]

Boris Johnson has been challenged to explain why the UK has one of the highest death tolls from the coronavirus globally with the Labour leader calling it ‘haunting’ in the latest round of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). Keir Starmer speak at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons. Photograph: Parliament TV. – Credit: Archant […]