Portrait of the week: Masks to be dropped, John Lewis builds houses and Russia lays claim to champagne
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, said that if a review of coronavirus restrictions on 12 July allowed, then on…
Boris Johnson must hold his nerve over lifting restrictions
A charge repeatedly made against Boris Johnson over the past 16 months is that he has ‘ignored scientific advice’. But…
Who was the first to wear a face mask?
Mask crusader Who first wore a medical face mask? — The beaked outfits worn by plague doctors aside, the first…
2511: Changing places - solution
The unclued lights form pairs of anagrams, one word in each pair being a place-name: 1A/6A, 1D/21, 6D/13, 11/38, 19/30…
Letters: We can’t build our way out of the housing crisis
Excess demand Sir: Liam Halligan (‘The house mafia’, 26 June) treats us to an exposé of the shoddy products of…
Portrait of the week: Hancock out, Javid in and MoD papers found at a bus stop
Home A lively game of hunt the issue followed the resignation of Matt Hancock as Secretary of State for Health…
It’s time to repair the damage done to the Covid generation’s education
Aswitch of personnel at the Department of Health this week has brought a welcome change in the government’s tone. No…
How many people are self-isolating when they’re told to?
Isolated cases Large numbers of people are still being ordered to self-isolate in spite of having been vaccinated — 137,560…
2513: Golden anniversary
1A, on 23 17, 41 1D 8 in this 31 was 21D. This anniversary announcement consists of eleven words and…
2510: Prom session - solution
Twelve symmetrically disposed unclued entries comprise three pairs of Spoonerisms (an anagram of the title): POURING RAIN/ROARING PAIN, FRYING PAN/PRYING…
Portrait of the week: A bombshell by-election, Scotland bans Mancunians and China staffs its space station
Home The government contemplated its promised Planning Bill, blamed for contributing to the astonishing victory for the Liberal Democrat Sarah…
How many countries have royal yachts?
Royal waves Does any other country have a royal yacht? — The Queen of Denmark uses HDMY Dannebrog, a 260ft…
The virus threat has changed. Now Test and Trace must too
Under what circumstances can a government restrict the liberty of the people? An example was given last year: in a…
Letters: Covid wouldn’t be the first virus to leak from a lab
The good doctors Sir: Not all GPs are currently ‘Dr No’ (12 June). I phoned my surgery at 9.30 the…
2509: Current description - solution
The perimeter quote is from ‘Ode to the West Wind’. The remaining unclued lights were the east wind (24A), south…
2508: Grovels - solution
The unclued lights (including the pair at 24/28) are CHEESES. First prize Rhidian Llewellyn, London SW14 Runners-up H. Sarson, Guernsey,…
Portrait of the week: Freedom off, GB News on and the Queen’s tea with Biden
Home The lifting of coronavirus restrictions was delayed from 21 June until 19 July, probably. The motive was to avoid…
The real value of the Australia trade deal
If Britain had been unable to agree a trade deal with Australia, then Brexit really would have been pointless. The…
Letters: The case for an NHS card
A new prescription Sir: It is maddening to see the British people being refused face-to-face GP appointments and subjected to…
Has Covid turned us into a nation of cyclists?
On this day Would 19 July make a suitable ‘freedom day’ (assuming Covid restrictions are lifted even then)? There is…
Letters: In defence of the National Trust
Trust us Sir: I refute Charles Moore’s assertions (‘Broken Trust’, 5 June) that the National Trust frowns on local expertise,…
2507: Knightly? - solution
The unclued lights are characters and places associated with King Arthur. First prize Belinda Bridgen, London NW8 Runners-up John Samson,…
Portrait of the week: Pub staff shortages, a baby called Lilibet and a slap in the face for Macron
Home The government pondered delaying the end of coronavirus restrictions on 21 June. But Chris Hopson, the chief executive of…
It’s time to revisit the Northern Ireland protocol
Britain has already seen two ‘Brexit days’ — when it formally left the EU on 31 January 2020 and the…
How many Lilibets are there in the world?
Rare Lili Other than the new royal baby, is there anyone in the world formally called Lilibet? — There are…
