We need the Commons back urgently – and if that means a Virtual Parliament, then so be it.
The date at which lockdown should end is debatable. That MPs and peers should be debating it is not.
A reminder from Johnson’s broadcast. The lockdown won’t end until the NHS can cope with a second wave.
The Government’s main aim to date has been to ensure that it can take the strain – and his remarkable statement shows that this is unlikely to change.
Lockdown can’t last forever, but it is necessary
Unless you think the projected caseload was wrong by an order of magnitude, it was the only way to buy time.
The return of unemployment: the numbers, industries and demographics the virus crisis may affect.
This economic crisis is unlike any we’ve ever seen before, thus it is impossible to make predictions. But already there are signs of who will be most impacted.
The Coronavirus Easter
Those who argue that the virus isn’t a serious problem and that the lockdown was unnecessary have more brains than sense.
It may just be that voters will see the Prime Minister in a new light after his admittance to intensive care
We hope that the new Johnson, the referendum-scarred near-landslide winner, regains the wider appeal of the old one, the Mayor who got stuck on a zip wire.
Don’t judge the young for sitting in parks. Consider the housing crisis.
A shortage of homes among the population has been ignored for too long. Symptoms of this issue have shown throughout lockdown.
Raab’s position is constitutionally solid – but could get politically precarious
So long as the Prime Minister is available to make the really big calls – or has left clear instructions or authorisation – the Foreign Secretary can deputise.
Rally round Raab
The Government needs to give shape and definition to its backroom plans to end the lockdown. His colleagues must support the man in charge.
Prime Ministers and their health
History shows that they can usually weather health crises, and we hope and trust we shall soon see this one restored to his normal vigour.
We send every good wish and prayer to the Prime Minister and his family
We are holding over our daily column, comment piece and local government article this morning. Our newslinks will be published as usual.
Let Singapore be a lesson. We are a long way from knowing how to beat the Coronavirus.
As new cases rise in the country, we must be hesitant to decide which Government has the best strategy.
We hope that the Prime Minister will soon be back to his usual swashbuckling self. Until then, Raab should take over.
The choice is between this imperfect option and a worse one – which is letting the ship of state drift amidst a storm unprecented in its nature and reach.
The question isn’t whether to end the lockdown. It’s when and how to do it. Can the Government rise to the challenge?
The Prime Minister’s hospitalisation accentuates the need for a new strategic structure to support a new strategic plan.
Can Starmer surprise us?
He will have to be more than a kind of North London John Smith if he wants to do more than just profit from the Government’s misfortunes.