It is a race in which the prize could hardly be greater – the dash to find a vaccine. There will be no true exit from the coronavirus disaster without one. The runners and riders include such familiar names as GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Imperial College and Oxford University’s Jenner Institute. There has been … Read more
When the coronavirus crisis began, Boris Johnson and his Ministers wanted to follow the science. But thanks to the paranoia and false pride of the Chinese government, there was precious little science to follow. ‘We found it very difficult to get any hard information out of China at the beginning,’ a Minister told me. ‘When … Read more
When challenged on the decisions that they have taken in the past few months, ministers invariably answer: ‘All our decisions are based on the science’. That makes it sound as though the decisions are based on black and white facts, but they are not. For our scientists are working in a fast-changing environment, where at … Read more
Covid-19 is a plague affecting millions of people. In the UK, everyone knows or knows of someone who has died and our lives have dramatically changed for the foreseeable future. This dreadful crisis has brought out the best in the British – while Americans angrily demonstrate for their right to get infected because many value … Read more
Covid-19 is a plague affecting millions of people. In the UK, everyone knows or knows of someone who has died and our lives have dramatically changed for the foreseeable future. This dreadful crisis has brought out the best in the British – while Americans angrily demonstrate for their right to get infected because many value … Read more
Which of us would like to be in Matt Hancock’s shoes? The beleaguered Health Secretary faces formidable problems, and the mounting chorus of blame is principally aimed at him. There is a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline NHS staff. If the Government should change its advice and sensibly recommend that we should … Read more
This evening, like every Thursday since coronavirus blighted the land, people will gather in the streets, on their doorsteps, in their gardens, to pay tribute to the brave workers of the NHS. We love our NHS. We lionise our NHS. We clap, and ring bells and bang pots and let off fireworks for the NHS … Read more
There is a fairground spookiness to Parliament at the moment. Most areas are boarded up or deserted. The long, high vaulted corridors of the Palace of Westminster are so quiet you can actually hear the nibs of the security guards scratching. But amid the unnerving hush, two eye-popping events played out yesterday in the House … Read more
When this pandemic emerged, Government ministers were understandably fearful that the NHS could be overwhelmed by the sheer number of infected patients. But in the weeks since the Prime Minister made his first sombre statement to the nation on the threat posed by coronavirus, this rational concern has morphed into an all-consuming tunnel vision about … Read more
First of all: how are you both? I know no one ever asks, so I thought it best just to check. After all, it must be so hard for you, stuck in Los Angeles in rented accommodation with only Ellen DeGeneres and Beyonce for company. We all know how stressful moving house can be, and … Read more