Why the lockdown isn’t over yet
13 min listen
Dominic Raab confirmed in today’s press conference that the lockdown is not being lifted just yet. On the podcast, Katy and James explain why.
Katy Balls
Katy Balls is The Spectator’s political editor.
Thursday
Why a lockdown extension is seen as inevitable
This afternoon Dominic Raab will chair a Cobra meeting where the issue of lifting the lockdown will be raised. When Boris Johnson first announced social distancing measures he said the arrangement would be re-examined in three weeks’ time. Yet no one in government believes there is any prospect of an imminent lockdown lift – instead
Wednesday
Will coronavirus usher in a new Conservatism?
15 min listen
The Chancellor ended today’s press briefing with the words: ‘Our economic plan and the plan for charities we announced today are built on one simple idea: that we depend on each other.’ On the podcast, James explains why he thinks coronavirus is the dawn of a new kind of Conservatism.
Tuesday
The decision Dominic Raab can’t make
12 min listen
One of the biggest decisions in the government’s approach to tackling coronavirus is when and how to lift the lockdown. But this is also one of the most divisive issues within Cabinet. With the Prime Minister not yet out of hospital, this will be one of the things that Dominic Raab can’t decide in his
Boris Johnson admitted to intensive care
12 min listen
Boris Johnson was moved to intensive care on Monday night as his condition worsened. What do we know of the situation, and where does government go from here?
Monday
Dominic Raab kicks coronavirus exit strategy into the long grass
After Boris Johnson’s admission to hospital, Dominic Raab tried to use Monday’s daily press conference to reassure the public that the Prime Minister was still firmly in charge: ‘I can tell you that the PM had a comfortable night in hospital, and he’s in good spirits. He’s still in hospital under observation. He is being given regular updates
Who is running the government?
16 min listen
With Boris Johnson currently hospitalised with no sign of release any time soon, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is the ‘designated survivor’. But at today’s press conference, he admitted he hadn’t spoken to Boris Johnson since Saturday. So who is running the government?
How Dominic Raab ended up as de facto deputy
Following the Prime Minister’s admission to hospital on Sunday, Boris Johnson remains in St Thomas’s hospital ‘for observation’. While a No. 10 spokesman insists that he remains in ‘good spirits’ and continues to be in touch with colleagues, questions remain when it comes to whether he will be forced to take a few days out for his recovery.
Government adviser: mass antibody test ‘at least a month’ away
With pressure growing on the government to forge an exit plan out of the current lockdown, antibody tests have been regularly cited by ministers and officials as a means to return to some form of normality. Boris Johnson says a home testing kit which would identify whether an individual has suffered from the disease – and therefore has
Sunday
Boris admitted to hospital
12 min listen
Tonight, the Prime Minister is admitted to hospital for tests; the Queen gives a statement to the nation; and Catherine Calderwood steps down as Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer after having been found to flout her own social distancing rules.
Saturday
Keir Starmer’s first challenges as Labour leader
20 min listen
As expected, Keir Starmer has won the Labour leadership contest. But it’s not an easy time to become the new leader of the Opposition. What are his first challenges?
Keir Starmer’s first challenge as Labour leader
As expected, Sir Keir Starmer has been announced as the new leader of the Labour party. The former shadow Brexit secretary won on first preference votes with 56 per cent of the vote to Rebecca Long Bailey on 27 per cent and Nandy on 16 per cent. Angela Rayner has been elected as deputy leader on third
Friday
Matt Hancock looks to clinical trials for a coronavirus way out
After a week of criticism over the government’s lack of mass testing, Matt Hancock and deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam used Friday’s press conference to try and move the focus to other methods for tackling the coronavirus outbreak. The Health Secretary reiterated that social distancing remains the best way to prevent spread of the disease
Has Sweden got it right?
16 min listen
Unlike the UK and most of Europe, Sweden hasn’t locked down its population. What explains its difference in approach? Plus, what does the government’s coronavirus exit strategy look like?
Thursday
Matt Hancock’s Gordon Brown moment
12 min listen
Boris Johnson’s government the most popular in a decade
Another day, another set of dreary headlines for the government over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. As well as publications that tend to be hostile to the Conservatives, the Telegraph today splashes with criticism of the testing shortage, saying there are ‘Questions without answers’. Yet despite all the noise, the polls tell a rather different
Wednesday
Why is Boris Johnson’s popularity surging?
17 min listen
Tuesday
Coronavirus comparisons with Germany are premature, deputy chief medical officer warns
The daily government press conference had a familiar theme today: politicians and advisers struggling to answer questions on the scale of coronavirus testing in the UK. Michael Gove and deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries both spoke of the importance of testing, but struggled to explain what they plan to do to stop the UK lagging
Is the government failing on testing?
12 min listen
Monday
Four graphs that show the effect of social distancing in the UK
Those who tuned into the government’s daily press conference were given a glimpse of what will come to pass if Boris Johnson has to take a break from his duties as a result of his coronavirus diagnosis. The government’s ‘designated survivor’ Dominic Raab led the conference – providing an update on Foreign Office efforts to bring Brits
