lockdown
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…
Labour's unlocking problem
Labour is unhappy with the government’s plan for unlocking, with leader Sir Keir Starmer calling it ‘reckless’. In the Commons…
Boris's 'freedom day' spells misery for many
The projection from Sajid Javid that Covid-19 infections could surge to a record 100,000 per day in a few weeks,…
The economic case for ditching mask mandates
After many months of hardship and sacrifice, freedom is finally within grasp. Boris Johnson has reclaimed his buccaneering, libertarian spirit…
Lockdown killed my mother – and thousands like her
Lockdown killed my mother – and thousands like her
It’s the end of lockdown – and the village has gone wild
The village square is a long and pedestrianised oblong shaded along its length by massive pollarded plane trees. It’s known…
The art of Dolly Parton’s bra
New York I hope this is my last week in the Bagel. I plan to fly first to Switzerland and…
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…
The new Covid divide: one rule for the elite, another for the rest of us
Politicians made the rules – so they know how to bend them
The promoter the critics love to hate: an interview with Raymond Gubbay
Richard Bratby talks to one of Britain’s most successful impresarios about his promoter’s nose, Arts Council spinelessness and ENO madness
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 luxury of being pro-lockdown
I’ve just written an essay for the People’s Lockdown Inquiry, a new collaboration between Buckingham University, the Institute of Ideas…
Covid has warped our collective attitude to death
Covid or no Covid, we’re all going to snuff it
The biggest danger to Boris comes from the enemies within
Boris Johnson’s predecessor was destroyed by her inability to meet deadlines. Theresa May extended the Brexit transition period so many…
A nicer side of Nero
New York I haven’t felt such shirt-dripping, mind-clogging wet heat since Saigon back in 1971. The Bagel is a steam…
Does ‘Johnson’s law’ explain why people won’t work from home?
Even after the one metre rule and the limits on numbers are removed on July 19th, we will not be…
Delay, data and the need for transparency
Boris Johnson delayed 21 June, he said, because the data did not merit a full reopening. The specific data government…
Brexit, lockdown and the fracturing of British politics
Is our society becoming less tolerant and more viscerally tribal? Or is our politics provoking people into committing more angry…
Lockdown delay is a price worth paying
For the first time during this pandemic, I think we should delay lifting restrictions. Looking at the latest data, it…
Covid and the difficulty with ‘following the science’
Did anyone fancy being in Boris Johnson’s shoes before he made the decision to delay the full lifting of Covid…
Is furlough holding back the jobs market?
The latest employment figures, published this morning, confirm a remarkable aspect of the Covid pandemic: that it appears to have…
The cost of delaying 'freedom day'
When Boris Johnson announced that unlocking would be guided by ‘data not dates’ he handed detractors ample scope for derision…
Boris Johnson delays the end of lockdown
Boris Johnson has this evening confirmed that he will delay the lifting of all Covid restrictions by four weeks to…
Speaker blasts Boris again over lockdown announcement
The government has just suffered a further verbal drubbing for the way it announced it would be delaying the roadmap…
The lockdown delay has triggered a constitutional crisis
It is not the Battle of Marston Moor, but it strikes me that we are now in something of a…
