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How the government is preparing for the inevitable Covid inquiry

Some decision-makers have already made timelines of their actions since the start of the pandemic, James Forsyth reveals in his political column for this week’s Spectator. How does the knowledge that an inquiry is coming change the way the pandemic is dealt with?

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Is it time for the government to admit its mistakes?

With an NHS tracing app not fully up and running until autumn, contact tracing seems like the latest in a series of events where the government has over-promised and under-delivered. Is it time for the government to admit the mistakes it has made in dealing with the pandemic?

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Why has the government U-turned on face masks?

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that face masks will be compulsory on public transport from mid-June. Until recently, that was explicitly not the government advice. What’s changed?

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The end of Keir Starmer’s ‘constructive opposition’

The time for constructive opposition is over, as Keir Starmer picks up a new tone in his interview to the Guardian, which he continued in PMQs. Cindy Yu talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about this strategy; and other issues of proxy voting, Scottish care homes, the BAME impact, and a new testing target.

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Does Rees-Mogg’s plan for a socially distanced parliament work?

MPs are back in the House of Commons this week, and Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg wants them to vote physically, but socially distanced. This means a meandering queue through the Palace of Westminster for MPs to file through the lobbies. Will it work?

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Will MPs rebel over No. 10’s quarantine plan?

From the speed of easing lockdown, to quarantine for international travellers, to the return of MPs to parliament – the government is fighting battles on many fronts. Has it made things more difficult for itself?

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How will a socially distanced House of Commons work?

MPs are returning to parliament next week, marking an end of the hybrid model that saw most MPs Zooming into parliamentary debates. On the podcast, John Connolly talks to James Forsyth and Katy Balls about the challenges in a socially distanced House of Commons. Get a month’s free trial of The Spectator and a free

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How the furlough scheme will be rolled back

Cindy Yu talks to Kate Andrews and Katy Balls about Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcements on phasing out the furlough scheme.

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Is it really ‘case closed’ on the Cummings affair?

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?

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What did Boris’s evidence to MPs reveal?

The Prime Minister appeared for the first time in his premiership in front of the Liaison Committee today. The group, formed of select committee chairs, grilled him on a range of issues from Dominic Cummings to pandemic support, and more.

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What does the slump in the polls mean for Conservatives?

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.

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Could public opinion make Cummings’s position untenable?

The latest polling shows a drastic change in the Prime Minister’s popularity because of the Cummings affair. Though the government is still sticking behind the adviser, will the sheer force of public opinion change things?

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Has Cummings done enough to calm Tory MPs?

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?

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Boris Johnson’s political gamble over Cummings

Boris Johnson gave an unambiguous defence of Dominic Cummings at today’s press conference. In so doing, the government is gambling that this is a storm they can weather. On the podcast, Kate Andrews discusses their thinking with Katy Balls and James Forsyth.

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The Dominic Cummings imbroglio

The government has come out in defence of Dominic Cummings’s decision to travel to Durham during lockdown. On the podcast, two Spectator writers give their opposing views on whether or not he made the right decision.

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Has Starmer put Tories on the backfoot?

Keir Starmer is off to a good start in his first 50 days as Labour leader. But has he done enough to start bringing back former Labour voters?

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Can the government bring back the economy?

New figures from the ONS today show the extent of damage done to the economy. Is this recoverable?

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Why the government U-turned on the NHS surcharge

Within 24 hours of refusing to scrap the NHS surcharge for migrant healthworkers, the government has U-turned. We discuss why; as well as Scotland’s lockdown easing and the new civil servant at No 10, Simon Case.

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Can the government get contact tracing up and running by June?

Boris Johnson pledges to get track and trace up by June 1, but is it possible? Plus, how is the government handling the new Opposition Leader, Keir Starmer, and how is the UK going to implement its Northern Ireland agreement with the EU?

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Is the government blaming the scientists?

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Is Labour’s stance on reopening schools worsening the education gap?

The government is aiming to reopen schools on June 1, but with teachers’ unions putting up opposition to the move, this timeline is unlikely to be met. Latest research shows that, meanwhile, the education gap between the poorest children and the wealthier is widening all the time. So in its support for the teachers unions,

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Is Nicola Sturgeon playing politics?

With Alex Massie, the Spectator’s Scotland Editor, and Fraser Nelson. Presented by Katy Balls.

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Is Boris Johnson a convert to the nanny state?

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Is the Roche antibody test a gamechanger?

Public Health England has approved its first mass antibody test. Roche, the supplier behind it, says that the test has an 100 per cent accuracy. So how much of a game changer is this development?

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Boris on the ropes over care homes

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How generous is Rishi’s furlough extension?

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?

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Keir Starmer’s canny coronavirus critique

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.

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Boris sets out the shape of an exit strategy

It’s been six weeks since the Prime Minister first sat down to give the statement to the British public that began lockdown. Today, as James Forsyth first reported in The Spectator two weeks ago, Boris Johnson announced that the lockdown isn’t over yet. From Wednesday onwards, the one form of exercise a day rule will be removed

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The government’s black-box approach to lockdown

What is Boris Johnson going to say in his speech on Sunday? Wales’s first minister Mark Drakeford gave us a clue this morning when he announced that the Welsh lockdown will continue for at least another three weeks. Meanwhile, No. 10 has been trying to dampen speculation that the PM will announce substantial relaxations to the lockdown.

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Why is the ‘R’ number going back up?

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?