Timeline of Cummings’ lockdown row March 23: As the coronavirus crisis escalates, the UK is placed into lockdown with strict limitations on travel. The Government guidelines state: ‘You should not be visiting family members who do not live in your home.’ Those in a household with symptoms must ‘stay at home and not leave the … Read more
Back when I was an industrial correspondent in the Seventies and Eighties, we had a word for employees who refused to go to work. It was called a ‘strike’. The unions withdrew their labour and their members didn’t get paid. Most of the time, these strikes were over money, even though Britain was an economic … Read more
Lockdown breakdown: Fears coronavirus crisis could go ‘back to square one’ amid evidence Britons have been bending the rules for WEEKS with nearly a FIFTH having met up with family and friends in parks Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged nation to stick with lockdown restrictions He said ‘let’s not go back to square one’ amid … Read more
Ministers have pledged to spend a massive £124billion to deal with the effects of the coronavirus crisis, the spending watchdog has revealed. The National Audit Office warned that the Government could lose large amounts of money through fraud and error if it was not wary of the risks. Its report found that ministers made more … Read more
Jeremy Hunt has ratcheted up the pressure on Downing Street to publish its scientific advice and put an end to Whitehall’s coronavirus blame game. A flurry of finger-pointing erupted yesterday as both ministers and experts shirked responsibility for blunders which have hamstrung the ability to fight the crisis. The decision to abandon contact tracing early … Read more
Ministers should stop claiming they are ‘following the science’ and stop passing the buck in the battle against coronavirus, a leading scientist has demanded. Sir Adrian Smith, 73, a statistician and the the incoming president of the Royal Society, said politicians are justifying their measures by saying they are following expert advice to appear decisive. … Read more
Ministers must publish SAGE evidence on coronavirus immediately, say MPs amid backlash over lockdown secrecy Boris Johnson facing demands to publish SAGE evidence on coronavirus policy Cross-party committee says papers underpinning decision should be released Just 16 SAGE papers published earlier this week out of 90 on an official list Here’s how to help people … Read more
The Government’s tracing app advisors ‘cannot decide whether to tell ministers to ditch its current strategy in favour of an Apple and Google version’. The ethical advisory board debated how big a role it should play in discussing whether the model is the best design, during a meeting on Thursday. The app is part of … Read more
Ministers were reportedly warned of sustained coronavirus transmission of Covid-19 in the UK two weeks before they told care homes it was ‘very unlikely’ residents would be infected. The Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling committee (SPI-M) released a statement on February 10 which stated that there was a ‘realistic probability’ that there is already a ‘sustained … Read more
Lockdown could be needlessly prolonged because of the Government’s obsession with bringing the ‘irrelevant’ R value down, MPs and scientists have warned. Ministers are relying on the reproductive ‘R’ figure – the average number of people a coronavirus patient infects – to tell them when it will be safe to unlock the country. Prime Minister … Read more