Has lockdown worked?
Who occupies the post of chief adviser to the prime minister is not generally an issue of great interest to…
Letters: Why we need music festivals
Disastrous decisions Sir: One cannot but agree wholeheartedly with Lionel Shriver (‘This is not a natural disaster’, 16 May). Given…
Portrait of the week: Cummings under fire, protests in Hong Kong and a big cat in East Finchley
Home Open-air markets and car showrooms will be allowed to open from 1 June and other ‘non-essential’ shops from 15…
2456: So American solution
Unclued lights are marches by John Philip SOUSA, as hinted by the title: 4/1A, 14/12, 20D, 33A/17, 37/29/26, and 41…
The big debate: is lockdown wrong?
Is lockdown a gargantuan mistake? That’s the view of a growing number of thinkers and critics, including The Spectator’s very…
Letters: When is a sport not a sport?
Save the children Sir: Your leading article is correct that the government should have evaluated the detriment caused by shutting…
Portrait of the week: Unemployment up, bathers banned and Corbyn’s brother arrested
Home The United Kingdom seemed reluctant to come out of its lockdown. ‘We are likely to face a severe recession,…
Which football teams have welcomed the strangest fake crowds?
Unusual crowd FC Seoul apologised after using sex dolls to try to create some atmosphere as games went ahead behind…
Advisers advise – but it must be ministers who decide
From the outset of the Covid-19 crisis, the government was determined that scientists would play a central and highly visible…
2455: Shadow boxing solution
The unclued lights are the four Labour MPs who stood for election as Labour’s leader to succeed Jeremy Corbyn: 11,…
Letters: It’s not so easy to boycott Chinese goods
Jobs for all Sir: Charles Bazlington championed Universal Basic Income in last week’s magazine (Letters, 9 May). It is welcome…
2454: 17 Across Solution
The thirteen unclued lights are all breads, hence the puzzle’s real title at 17A. First prizeNicholas Grogan, Purley, Surrey Runners-up…
What would a perfectly socially-distanced UK look like?
Safety first The government was criticised for its new coronavirus slogan, ‘Stay alert’. What are the most common safety slogans…
Portrait of the week: Europe’s lockdowns ease, England stays alert and Broadway stays shut
Home The government changed its slogan from ‘Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives’ to ‘Stay alert, control the virus,…
Reopening schools must be our first priority
It would be a tragedy if one of the legacies of Covid-19 — a disease which hardly affects children physically…
Track and trace should not be our only exit strategy
The concept of the state tracking our every movement is anathema to this magazine and, we assume, to its liberal…
Letters: The toilet paper stockpile that lasted 80 years
The case for small homes Sir: Your editorial rightly highlights what must be one of the government’s priorities once the…
2453: All Right? Solution
Unclued lights were characters in the musical Oklahoma!, 2/20, 4A, 10, 22, 24, 30, 35/15D. They are AUNT ELLER, WILL…
How many books are in the average home?
Admitting defeat 8 May is celebrated as VE Day, but it is also a date which marks a significant English…
Portrait of the week: Neil Ferguson quits, Rory Stewart drops out and Boris names his baby
Home The government put its mind to the puzzle of how to get people back to work. Draft advice was…
Portrait of the week: Boris’s son is born, Commons sits apart and Belgians told to eat more potatoes
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, returned to work at Downing Street after recovering from his Covid-19 sickness. Speaking outside…
How many 100th birthday cards does the Queen send?
Multiplying by hundreds The Queen penned a personal 100th birthday message to Captain Tom Moore, who has raised money for…
2452: Comme on dit solution
The paired unclued lights (1D/6, 14/25, 36/32 and 39/1A) are, AS THEY SAY when the title of the puzzle is…
The NHS has been protected – care homes have not
As the NHS was preparing for the Covid onslaught, thousands of hospital patients were discharged to care homes in an…
Letters: Country and town are in this together
End-of-life plans Sir: Charles Moore writes about his neighbour with poor lung function being telephoned about a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’…
