Ryan Bourne: Don’t fret about this debt – at least not yet. Big tax rises would choke economic recovery.
If it proves a temporary blowout rather than permanent, accumulated debt levels being modestly higher looks manageable.
Luke Evans: What is “the new normal” – in Parliament, my constituency, and throughout Britain?
Despite media provocation to constantly move the story on, a new pseudo-normality has dawned; and yet no-one quite knows what the boundaries are.
Richard Holden: The virus, this pandemic, and how to respond. The public gets it. But the media doesn’t.
It’s time for a little less sensationalism – and a lot more steady and serious journalism.
The New Normal will be Very Abnormal Indeed. Here are 15 sets of questions about it.
How prepared are we for strict social distancing for the forseeable future, compulsory masks, closed leisure facilities – and a semi-functioning economy?
Liam Fox: How to assess virus death rates properly. Those making make simplistic judgements are unlikely to enhance their reputations.
Figures from national reported statistics suggest that the UK is in the middle of the range – above Germany & America but below Belgium & Spain.
Rebecca Lowe: Truss’s policy speech on trans was an astonishing victory for common sense – and children’s rights
The Minister for Women and Equalities deserves support from all who care about their safety and wellbeing of children.
The Scapecock
The Health Secretary’s defence of his department’s pro-lockdown stance has made him a target for those who want it eased.
Richard Holden: Labour has socially distanced from voters in my seat – and others in the north and midlands. Starmer won’t change that.
The party is pinned down where it feels at home – in its new heartlands of central London, the middle of major cities and the University towns.
Matt Kilcoyne: Can privacy be secured in the era of the track-and-trace app?
Fortunately, a decentralised solution has come forward that will allows epidemiologists and Health Departments to access the data they need.
Imagine a Cabinet Minister claiming that the Government is “guided by the economics”
The decision that Boris Johnson must make after his return this week is and can only be political – not scientific.
Unblocking the loans scheme traffic jam
The Chancellor is set to build a relief road to get round the present pile-up of Government, banks and business.
David Gauke: The Government’s lockdown message has been almost too effective – rather than not enough
I am beginning to worry that there may come a time when there will be a need for a more nuanced message – but the public won’t be willing to hear it.
What Conservative MPs told us about the lockdown’s future. The consensus is for a gradual easing.
But there is no simple split between the Left and Right of the Party, and no sense of rebellion, at least yet.
Bernard Jenkin: Keeping or junking the shutdown won’t work. But the alternative requires a transformation unparalleled since the war.
Parliament’s role must be to encourage strategic thinking, raise reasonable questions and help the government avoid strategic errors.
Iain Dale: Starmer makes a good start. Now, just remind me. His predecessor was Jeremy…who?
Plus: Scam PPE offers. Johnson’s very real illness. And: I’m wondering about the rest of his body. (My dog’s, not my partner’s.)