Cindy Yu is a Times columnist, and formerly both an assistant editor of The Spectator and presenter of our Chinese Whispers podcast.
From our UK edition
13 min listen
Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance refused to give their opinions on the Dominic Cummings affair at today's press conference; while Durham police indicated that they will not be investigating the Barnard Castle trip any further, after announcing that it might have been a minor breach. Downing Street says it's 'case closed' - is it really?
From our UK edition
16 min listen
The latest polling shows that even a majority of Conservative voters want Dominic Cummings out; and the Prime Minister's own standing has taken a dramatic hit. Cindy Yu speaks to pollster James Johnson and our own Katy Balls about what this means.
From our UK edition
12 min listen
In an unprecedented press conference today, Dominic Cummings explained the circumstances in which he took his family to Durham, and the exact timeline. He struck a sincere tone, but stopped short of apologising. Has he said enough to stem the backlash?
From our UK edition
36 min listen
Brexit is back on the agenda, but this time, talks are even more difficult than the last phase (00:45). Plus, what do we understand about immunity, and how should that inform the lockdown policy (16:45)? And for a nation that bangs on about fish, do we eat enough of it (28:00)?
From our UK edition
38 min listen
European countries all seem to be doing something different, so what are the lessons from the continent (00:45)? Plus, how the West's lockdown impacts the developing world in a very real way (13:05). And last, rediscovering the joy of driving on the country's empty roads (24:55).With economist Fredrik Erixon, the Economist's Anne McElvoy, Stanford Professor Jayanta Bhattacharya, Indian economist Ashwini Deshpande, writer Alexander Pelling-Bruce, and transport journalist Christian Wolmar.
From our UK edition
12 min listen
Today the Chancellor announced that the furlough scheme will be extended until October. Along with a raft of other tweaks, just how generous is this extension?
From our UK edition
13 min listen
Following 24 hours of confusion over the government's advice on the next phase of lockdown, Keir Starmer is making his debut as Labour leader with a statement to be broadcast on the BBC. On the podcast, Katy Balls and James Forsyth analyse his approach of constructive criticism.
From our UK edition
32 min listen
The government is looking at easing the lockdown, but how much remains unknown about the coronavirus (00:40)? In the meantime, Joe Biden is batting off sexual assault allegations (10:15), and we take a look at the upside of lockdown for new parents (21:30).With science writer Matt Ridley, virologist Elisabetta Groppelli, Spectator USA editor Freddy Gray, host of the 'Democratically: 2020' podcast Karin Robinson, the Spectator's Assistant Editor Lara Prendergast, and Editor of the Times Literary Supplement Stig Abell.
From our UK edition
11 min listen
In his evidence given to MPs today, Professor John Edmonds, one of the government's scientists on Sage, said he thought that the 'R' number had gone up in recent days. So why has this happened, despite the last three weeks of lockdown?
From our UK edition
16 min listen
The leading epidemiologist from Imperial College London, who has been influential in the government's decision to impose a lockdown, has resigned. The Telegraph broke the story on Tuesday evening that Neil Ferguson had been visited at least twice by his lover. On the podcast, Cindy Yu discusses with James Forsyth and Katy Balls whether he had to go.
From our UK edition
51 min listen
In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss the confusions of Italy's lockdown easing; Hong Kong's large-scale repatriation of residents from South Asia; the potential watershed moment of American news outlets accepting federal funds; and whether China is looking down the barrel of a second wave.
From our UK edition
17 min listen
From our UK edition
11 min listen
In the Prime Minister's first press conference since coming back to work, it was all about the 'R' number. On the podcast, Cindy, James, and Katy discuss just what this number means for our way out of the lockdown.
From our UK edition
37 min listen
James Forsyth writes in this week's cover piece that the government 'is going to go South Korean on the virus'. In other words, test, track, and trace. But as James points out, this raises the obvious question of why we weren't doing this already. On the podcast, Cindy Yu talks to James and the Economist's Adrian Wooldridge. Adrian argues that the West is too slow at learning the lessons of elsewhere in the world, a costly mistake as Asian states like Singapore offer instructive lessons in governance. As this global pandemic lays bare the differences of national approaches, it's a timely discussion.
From our UK edition
14 min listen
Social care has always been a difficult issue for incumbent governments in recent years. The coronavirus pandemic brings this to the fore. As ONS figures show that more than 5,000 deaths have happened in UK care homes in April, Cindy, James, and Katy discuss what this means for future social care policy on the podcast.
From our UK edition
Only three New Yorkers had died when Han, a 22-year-old masters student at NYU, caught a plane back to China. It was mid-March, and the WHO had just declared a global pandemic. Han spent an uneventful fortnight quarantined at home in Harbin, the northeastern Chinese city where her parents lived. She passed a series of antigen and antibody tests and was freed in early April. The family celebrated with meals out, and she even flew to Shanghai for a short weekend trip. This unremarkable student’s itinerary is now well known across the country. Officials say that she is the super-spreader behind at least 50 locally infected coronavirus cases in Harbin. According to official numbers, China has flattened the curve, an achievement symbolised with Wuhan's liberation earlier this month.
From our UK edition
15 min listen
The Telegraph reports this morning that Boris Johnson is planning to be back at work by Monday next week. He couldn't come back sooner - with the Prime Minister laid up, the Cabinet has split over the question of easing the lockdown (as James Forsyth writes this week). So can Boris unite his team behind one coronavirus strategy?
From our UK edition
40 min listen
This week, the Spectator commemorates its 10,000th edition. On the podcast, Cindy Yu speaks to David Butterfield and Fraser Nelson about the magazine's two centuries of history, finding out about how the publication started, discussing whether it is still the same now as it was originally intended, and hearing about what David calls its 'industrial drink culture'. Find out more about the history of the magazine with David's new book, 10,000 Not Out. Also on the podcast, Cindy speaks to James Forsyth and former Director of Comms at No 10, Craig Oliver. As James writes in the issue this week, when Boris Johnson comes back to work, he returns to a split Cabinet and a difficult decision - how and when to ease the lockdown?
From our UK edition
15 min listen
The Scottish government's document 'Looking Beyond Lockdown' tries to do what it says on the tin. But it comes at an inconvenient time for the government in Downing Street, just as it is facing accusations that it hasn't been clear enough with the public about what is needed to end the lockdown. On the podcast, James and Katy reveal the pressures that the devolved governments' actions put on the national government, in general and in this crisis, and we also discuss the new test, track, and trace approach.
From our UK edition
14 min listen
Is Matt Hancock the government's 'fall guy'? As Katy Balls details on Coffee House, the Health Secretary's 100,000 target has rubbed up some in government in the wrong way, with the Daily Telegraph's front page today reporting that an insider close to No 10 has dubbed it 'irrational' and 'arbitrary'. So what's going on behind the scenes?
