Sweden, Covid and ‘excess deaths’: a look at the data
Pandemics kill people in two ways, said Chris Whitty at the start of the Covid outbreak: directly and indirectly, via…
Scotland will have a new leader on 27 March
So now we know: Scotland will get its new leader on 27 March. The rules that will determine how Sturgeon’s…
Nicola Sturgeon’s legacy in six graphs
Nicola Sturgeon is expected to resign in a press conference later this morning, after eight years as First Minister. She…
Why the rising unemployment rate might not be such bad news
Is unemployment beginning to bite? Or are the workless trying to rejoin the economy? That’s the key question after the…
House prices fall (again) – but is it the time to buy?
House prices have fallen for the second month in a row, according to Nationwide – following wider predictions of a…
Why are excess deaths higher now than during Covid?
More people are dying every week than during Covid’s peak years. Last month there were 1,564 more deaths than average…
The metrics that will decide the next PM’s fate
Gone in a flash, Liz Truss becomes the shortest serving prime minister in British history. As it stands, she’s 75…
Six graphs that could seal Liz Truss's fate
When Britain crashed out of the European exchange rate mechanism on Black Wednesday, prime minister John Major phoned the Sun…
More Britons than ever are out of work due to long-term sickness
Some nine million working-age people are out of work and are not looking for it either. Figures released by the…
The barcode revolution
Beep-bop. The sound of the supermarket checkout – a noise Morrisons felt the need to mute after the Queen’s death…
How likely are the lights to go out this winter?
Britain will make it through the winter without the lights going out. That’s the view of the National Grid, which is…
Why life expectancy is going down in Scotland
Life expectancy is perhaps the surest sign of a country’s welfare, which makes it all the more worrying that Scotland’s…
Is long Covid all in the mind?
What’s the link between long Covid and mental health? A study just published in the Journal of the American Medical…
US lockdowns wipe out decades of maths and reading progress
In Britain, the damage of lockdown was easily covered up by grade inflation: with 45 per cent of A Level…
We’re at pandemic levels of death. Why is no one talking about it?
At the peak of the lockdowns, thousands were dying every week. Newspaper front pages demanded action. But in the latest…
Has Sadiq Khan's junk food ad ban really stopped London getting fatter?
London Mayor Sadiq Khan made a bold claim this week: ‘As a result of our junk food advertising ban on…
Scotland's drug deaths scandal is a problem no one seems able to solve
Scotland has a high amount of drugs deaths. But it’s not just that. It’s that Scotland suffers drugs deaths at levels…
Are masks bad for you?
Could masks be making us sick? That’s the suggestion in a Japanese study, published this week in Nature’s Scientific Report’s…
Boris’s premiership in seven graphs
Boris Johnson has just resigned – forced out by the sheer number of resignations, leaving him without a government. He…
The mystery of Britain's surging at-home deaths
Britain may look like it’s back to normal after the lockdowns but one alarming trend that emerged in 2020 is…
Lockdown’s impact on young children: a look at the data
How much damage did lockdown inflict on children’s development? This could be one of the least-explored scandals in public life…
Is there a new Covid wave – and do we need to worry?
Is Covid back on the rise? The ONS survey shows increasing prevalence in England and Northern Ireland, with ‘uncertain’ results…
Did monkeypox leak from Wuhan?
It’s a familiar story. Close contacts of individuals infected by a dangerous illness are being asked by UK officials to…
The politics of bowls clubs
Bowls has a reputation as a sedate pastime, but it can be as fiercely competitive as any other sport. It…
From snowball fights to delivering birthday cards: Britain’s 136,000 lockdown penalty charges
The lockdown penalty charges keep coming
