Responding to the challenge of two million unemployed people – and maybe more
There are two groups who are particularly exposed: those who have recently lost their jobs, and younger people.
Andrew Gimson’s Commons sketch: The new Opposition leader begins, in a quiet way, to set the agenda
The new Leader of the Opposition looked more at ease than the First Secretary of State, Dominic Raab, standing in for Boris Johnson.
Over a billion PPE items isn’t “shambolic”. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer was right. We need a more adult conversation about PPE.
From medical equipment, to herd immunity, to data collection, everything has been reduced and given no nuance.
Andrew Gimson’s Commons sketch: A diminution of our body politic at which the hairs on Rees-Mogg’s head protested
The Commons agreed to hold virtual sittings, but admitted that these will greatly impair its ability to hold the Government to account.
Parliament returns today. Don’t expect it to pile pressure on the Government. At least until early May.
It appears that there will be no votes until next week. After that, the May Bank Holiday looms. In any event, MPs will be feeling their virtual way.
Johnson, the Sunday Times and the virus. The Remainer losers have learnt nothing from the EU referendum and last year’s election.
It may be significant that the one person who doesn’t seem to be making their mistake is Keir Starmer.
We hope and expect Johnson will be back by May 8. But if he isn’t, Raab must lead in easing the lockdown.
The art will be to do so in such a way that the NHS can cope with a rise in admissions. And social distancing for the most vulnerable must remain in place.
The Government should stand behind loans to small businesses in full
Ministers can carry on trying, through the British Business Bank or directly, to push on this Gordian Knot – or slice through it.
Exit strategies: What do these look like in other countries?
Some regions have already started to ease off lockdown measures. Here are their plans so far:
Those five tests. The stage is set for an easing of the lockdown to be trailed after the first May Bank Holiday.
Johnson will seek to keep ahead of public opinion. The art for him is to not to be caught out by a sudden shift in mood.
How Johnson, by at last making National Insurance a reality, could become the second founder of the NHS
In order to render the NHS proof against future pandemics, and resolve the social care crisis, he needs to learn from Beveridge.
The longer the lockdown lasts, the bigger Sunak’s bazooka will be
We don’t expect the shutdown to last in full until summer. But if it did, Britain might well be moving towards Universal Credit as a basic income.
Calls for care home equipment must be heard. But they mustn’t be allowed to panic residents and loved ones.
Sending PPE to residences around the country must be done as soon as possible. Calling people “lambs to the slaughter” does not help, though.
When the virus crisis is over, we will have to look at what the NHS can learn from Germany
The West Germans realised, when they set up their health system, that there had to be an entrenched place for competition between different providers.
Death rates shouldn’t be used to make political points. And can’t be truthfully. Here’s why.
The only way of pushing such a narrative is to remove context and nuance from the data.