The last thing we need in the fight against this virus is a Ministry of Supply
Johnson’s task is to hire the right people and back them as long as they are getting things done, no matter who they offend in the process.
Andrew Gimson’s PMQs sketch: Johnson bids a solemn farewell to Corbyn, and promises action asap
But there were a couple of moments of levity – though both men agreed that this is no time for it.
More details of the new scheme and some issues arising from it
It is worth noting that face-to-face contact won’t always be necessary: those in higher-risk groups will be able to offer support by telephone.
Meanwhile, while you were distracted by other events, the Government has nationalised the railways
As for “a limited period”, well, we shall see: as Milton Friedman used to say, nothing is so permanent as a temporary Government programme.
Salmond’s acquittal makes a bloody SNP civil war much more likely
The former First Minister is a diminished figure, but could still be a potent leader of the Nationalists’ fundamentalist wing.
Britain moves nearer to a full quarantine. Now watch for the moves to isolate Johnson.
The perils and volatility that the Coronavirus – that ultimate leveller-down – brings with it suddenly endanger last year’s near-landslide winner.
The persuasive case against the claim that there is mass ‘panic buying’
A supply-chain shock poses similar problems when it comes to feeding the nation, but it says something very different about the British people.
A sunset clause should apply to the Government’s emergency powers bill after a year
One can see why the Government wants and needs to act. But what seems the right thing now could be the curtailment of our freedoms in years to come.
The rights and wrongs of the Government’s treatment of the self-employed
The Chancellor should make further provision for them. But the vast though necessary expansion of state spending will need emergency powers-type checks.
We’re urged to revive the spirit of the Blitz. But the Britain of World War Two didn’t always pull together.
“Winston Churchill is a bastard” – criticism, scrutiny and vulgar abuse are part of living in a free country.
Can Lewis really deliver equal and proper protection for veterans of the Northern Irish campaign?
To deliver on his promise to the House of Commons, the Secretary of State will need to overcome deeply entrenched attitudes in his own Department.
Sunak needs a big, big, bigger bazooka
So said a cross-section of Conservative MPs today – and rightly. They grasp that even the unprecedently statist package he’s announced is only a start.
What’s the Government’s real record on testing?
Comparing the country’s testing rates to those of Bahrain and South Korea can be misleading.
The prospect seems remote. But is National Government on its way?
One can conceive of Ministers seeking an all-party public front, and Labour objecting to responsibility with no power.
Andrew Gimson’s PMQs sketch: Johnson steps forward as the leader of a National Government
To the astonishment of those who see him as an incorrigible buffoon, the Prime Minister looked and sounded unremittingly sombre.