Coronavirus

Pret a Manger has distanced itself from founder Julian Metcalfe after he provoked a backlash telling the government not to introduce another lockdown to save a “few thousand lives”. Metcalfe, who sold his remaining stake in the coffee chain last year but still owns the majority of high-street restaurant Itsu, prompted an angry response online after […]

Ministers are having to hire consultants to deal with the Brexit process because government fears it will become overwhelmed by a second wave of Covid-19 cases, leaked documents have revealed. According to the Telegraph, the Cabinet Office has requested consultants help it respond “rapidly to any worsening Covid crisis” until March 2021 as the Brexit […]

Boris Johnson’s handling of the situation over free school meals has been branded a “disaster” after Marcus Rashford’s petition hits one million signatories. The Manchester United star’s mission to ensure no child goes hungry has gripped the nation and caused a major headache for the government who have opposed funding his campaign. Tory peer Gavin Barwell, […]

France and Germany have both taken the decision to go into national lockdowns to last throughout November as part of an attempt to slow the growth of coronavirus. President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed the “stay at home” order which will see non-essential shops, restaurants and bars close from Friday until 1 December with external borders […]

Readers have their say on the furore over the government failure to provide free school meals during the holidays. As many politicians once again demonstrate that they are out of touch with ordinary people by voting against providing free school meals in holidays, is now the time to suggest that all politicians should undertake a […]

A Brexiteer MP has claimed that a 49% drop in positive coronavirus cases in Londonderry was not down to an increase in lockdown restrictions. Appearing on BBC Good Morning Ulster, Sammy Wilson, DUP MP, pointed to a spike in his constituency eight weeks ago which he said was remedied through a targeted intervention at a meat […]

Less than a quarter of UK businesses trust the government on Brexit, new polling has revealed. More than 40% said the coronavirus had derailed their plans to prepare for Brexit, a poll commission by City A.M. had shown. In a separate poll by market research group Opinium, only 11% felt confident that a trade deal […]

The government’s attempts to put sovereignty over cooperation will leave us all worse off from Brexit. As the UK-EU deal or no-deal drama limps on, most attention focuses on the economic consequences of a new trade relationship. But UK health security – in the sense of measures to prevent and mitigate health emergencies such as […]

Politicians from the Liberal Democrats and Labour have called for urgent action from the government over Covid-19 to help “save Christmas”. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the government’s failure to use the half-term for a circuit-breaker lockdown means they now need to “do something quickly”. Ashworth said the government have “lost a window of […]

Boris Johnson is under growing pressure to impose heightened coronavirus restrictions as the UK recorded its highest daily Covid-19 death toll since May, as reports claim that chief scientific adviser SIr Patrick Vallance is one of a number lobbying the government to take more action. It comes as fears were raised of the second wave […]

A Conservative MP has been criticised for suggesting “chaotic parents” can be to blame for sending their children to school hungry so they are unable to concentrate. John Penrose, a former minister who is married to NHS Test and Trace chief Baroness Harding, made the remark in a letter to a constituent as he defended […]

Two more Tory MPs who rejected a motion to extend free school meals have been at the receiving end of local protests. Empty plates with messages on them began piling up outside the office of Sutton MP Paul Scully on Monday after it emerged he was one of 322 Tory MP who voted against plans to feed hungry […]

A Tory MP who signed a letter to Boris Johnson over Covid-19 measures in the north of England said he wants to “keep the prime minister honest” and delivering on his promises. Simon Fell, the MP for Barrow and Furness, was one of 55 Conservative MPs calling for a roadmap for Northern constituencies out of […]

Television presenter and campaigner Esther Rantzen has slammed Boris Johnson’s response to the coronavirus, saying the prime minister should not be proud of his support for children in particular. Asked by Julia Hartley-Brewer about the coronavirus support, she said: “In Boris’ place I don’t think I would be proud of my record, I would be […]

Boris Johnson is acting as a “human shield” for the Tories during Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, a political commentator has claimed. Benedict Spence, a Telegraph columnist, has said that the prime minister is “soaking up the political flack” during the pandemic, and he has claimed it is unlikely anyone will manoeuvre to replace him […]

Boris Johnson has been warned the Tory majority in parliament will be “wiped out” over his coronavirus strategy in the north of England. The prime minister ignored the wishes of Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and other northern officials when they entered the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions without providing adequate financial support. The government […]

Matt Hancock has found himself at the centre of intense criticism after a video of him promoting government policy in a hospital seriously backfired. Hancock failed to notice he was breaking government guidelines when he was filmed at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading promoting a new review into food standards across the NHS without […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock has insisted the leaders of the Test and Trace scheme ‘needs our thanks’ after it was put to him that Baroness Dido Harding should lose her job leading the initiative.  Hancock was asked whether Harding should remain in the job after senior Tory MP Bernard Jenkin called for her to be […]

A shop in Lancaster has become the second business banning Tory MPs after they voted against extending free school meals over the holidays. Ian Bailey, who owns The Runners Centre, has barred local MP David Morris after he voted with 231 Tory MPs to reject a motion to feed hungry children over school holidays. This comes after […]

A business minister has defended Tory peer Baroness Harding’s handling of the government Test and Trace scheme, claiming she is doing a “very difficult job really well” and is working 19-hour shifts every day. Nadhim Zahawi was asked to give his verdict on Harding’s leadership of the key Covid-19 prevention programme after senior Tory MP […]

Boris Johnson has been warned by more than 50 Tory MPs that his handling of the coronavirus pandemic could “send the North into reverse”. A group of northern Conservative backbenchers, led by former northern powerhouse minister Jake Berry, has written to the prime minister expressing their concerns. The Northern Research Group (NRG) wants Johnson to […]

Readers have their say on the silence of Baroness Dido Harding, who is overseeing the government’s test and trace scheme. I can’t help wondering why, if Diana ‘Dido’ Harding is that capable, confident and articulate (“Test of her life”, TNE #215), she doesn’t seem to do more media interviews: after all, who better to report […]

Welsh secretary Simon Hart has accused the media of concocting a scandal surrounding England’s contract tracing system as he dismissed claims it was an “abject” failure on national television. Hart struck a defensive tone with Sky News’ Andrew Boulton who confronted him over dire test and trace figures. “To use Boris Johnson’s words, the government has quite happily […]

James O’Brien has delivered a scathing assessment of the government’s coronavirus response and claimed the pandemic has exposed just how out of touch with reality leaders have become. The national radio host accused the government of underestimating the impact of Covid-19 is having in communities across the UK. “The contradiction of telling us for months that it was all […]

Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre was the biggest winner in the government’s cultural bail-out scheme in England, with a whopping £999,999 coming its way. This made it the envy of far more acclaimed, but less generously supported venues, such as the Bristol Old Vic, and, in London, the Almeida and the Kiln, where the great Indhu Rubasingham, […]

Lockdown is, for almost everybody, a new phenomenon that has created feelings of anxiety about a range of issues, particularly how to deal with the threat of the virus itself. Covid-19 is an invisible threat from which the best protection appears to be to hide – perhaps in the hope that it will go away.  […]

The minister behind coronavirus negotiations with Andy Burnham and other Greater Manchester leaders was unable to say whether gyms would remain open under the region’s new restrictions. Communities and housing minister Robert Jenrick appeared to have no idea if gyms would remain open under Tier-3 restrictions coming into force on Friday, despite being involved in lockdown […]

The former head of Whitehall said there were “legitimate” questions about the government’s preparedness for the coronavirus outbreak while taking a swipe at Dominic Cumming’s lockdown-breaking trip to Durham. Lord Mark Sedwill, who stood down last month as cabinet secretary, said Whitehall did not have all the “exact measures” in place to deal with the pandemic. […]

Greater Manchester has been forced into following Tier 3 coronavirus controls after talks between the government and regional leaders concluded without an agreement. The region’s mayor Andy Burnham held last-ditch talks with Boris Johnson earlier on Tuesday aimed at securing additional financial support for his consent on new restrictions. But communities secretary Robert Jenrick said the discussions […]

Matt Hancock has come under fire from Downing Street after he was pictured not wearing a face mask while travelling in a ministerial car. According to new rules, anyone travelling in taxis and private cars are required to wear a face mask or be hit with a £200 fine which could extend to £6,400 for repeated breaches. […]

A Labour politician has lashed out at Boris Johnson and asked how he expected people to live on two-thirds of the national minimum wage if he struggled on his £150,000-a-year salary. Denton and Reddish MP Andrew Gwynne has slammed the prime minister for allegedly complaining about his salary. According to the Sunday Mirror, Tory MPs are gearing up […]

Labour’s Jacinda Ardern has declared victory in the New Zealand elections, after receiving a boost from her successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The elections had been delayed from September, but were pushed back to October due to concerns over a flare up in Covid-19 cases. Her party has been campaigning wit the slogan “Let’s […]