News and Opinion

MPs are calling for social media companies to be held to account for the spread of conspiracy theories online linking 5G technology to the coronavirus outbreak. It comes following reports of phone masts being attacked after theories spread online suggesting the rollout of 5G was linked to the Covid-19 outbreak. A number of posts showing […]

Downing Street has hit out at Russian ‘disinformation’ after a state-run news agency claimed Boris Johnson would soon be put on a ventilator as he struggles with coronavirus. The prime minister remained in hospital on Monday, where he was under observation with ‘persistent’ symptoms of Covid-19 which he has had for 11 days. Russia’s RIA-Novosti […]

Ed Miliband will return to the Labour frontbench under Sir Keir Starmer as the new leader revealed an overhauled shadow cabinet that includes his former leadership rivals. Miliband, who was succeeded by Jeremy Corbyn after leading the party to electoral defeat, was named as the new shadow business secretary on Monday. His predecessor in the […]

Even before the coronavirus recovery begins we’re seeing how fundamental business collaboration is, says Lucy Franklin. A Brexit delay is inevitable We’re living through a situation that almost no one saw coming, and no one was prepared for. I’m not going to use this article to throw my voice behind the chorus of recriminations or […]

A new fundraiser is aiming to ask the Court of Justice to confirm that EU citizenship is a permanent status for all of those living in the UK. A group of lawyers and campaigners have joined forces to argue their case that all of those living in the United Kingdom remain permanent citizens of the […]

Experts have warned that panic-buying in the UK could return at the end of the year if there is a no-deal Brexit, and the result could be worse than the initial response to the coronavirus. Consumer analysis firm Kantar found that supermarket sales during March were higher than those seen ahead of the Christmas period, […]

This front cover of The New European is dedicated to the frontline workers of the NHS doing all they can to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic. https://twitter.com/ManMadeMoon/status/1243102017456730113 The front page was created by The New European designer Chris Barker, based on the classic 1945 photograph of US marines raising the American flag during the […]

Millions of coronavirus antibody testing kits ordered by the government will not be used because experts say they are not good enough. The tests, which reveal whether someone has recovered from the disease, should be able to indicate how many have had the virus and recovered. But Professor John Newton, director of health improvement at […]

The prime minister’s brother is used to his politics splitting opinion within his family. His father was a Remain supporter who is reportedly now applying for an EU passport, his sister ran for Change UK during the European elections, and his brother Jo Johnson quit the cabinet and as an MP in protest at the […]

Remainer MPs David Lammy and Bridget Phillipson have been tipped for jobs in Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet as he shakes up Labour’s frontbench. The newly-elected Labour leader has already made his former rival Lisa Nandy shadow foreign secretary, while Anneliese Dodds was made shadow chancellor. Nick Thomas-Symonds was appointed shadow home secretary and Rachel Reeves […]

De facto deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, is expected to chair the daily Covid-19 meeting after Boris Johnson spent a night in hospital. Johnson will stay for ‘as long as needed’ in the London NHS hospital where he was taken as a ‘precautionary step’ on the advice of his doctor – rather […]

Shining humour on to dark times, comedian MITCH BENN says if this was The Walking Dead, he would skip ahead. First of all, I hope this finds you safe, well and still relatively sane. I know the waggish thing to do at the moment is to draw satirical comparison between our current plight and the […]

A stunning musical heritage is one of the things that keeps this disparate nation together – even through the hard times. SOPHIA DEBOICK reports ‘Music is our cotton, our gold and our diamonds,’ says Grammy-winning Malian musician Toumani Diabaté, a key ambassador for the music of his homeland. Landlocked and half desert, Mali boasts a […]

There might seem little obvious attraction in revisiting old ‘apocalypse movies’ in the current climate. But, says JAMES OLIVER, the genre actually offers a sense of reassurance you won’t find elsewhere Kevin Costner, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Tina Majorino look to the horizon in a scene from the film ‘Waterworld’, 1995. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images) – […]

Richard Burgon confirmed he has not been offered a role in Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet team. Burgon held the role of shadow justice secretary under Jeremy Corbyn and failed in his bid to become deputy leader. He wrote on Twitter: ‘It’s been an honour to serve as Labour’s shadow justice secretary since 2016. ‘I’ve […]

A senior Labour MP has said he will return to the backbenches after feeling ‘almost completely sidelined’ during the general election campaign. Andrew Gwynne, in a letter to new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, said he was returning to the Labour backbenches and hopes to rediscover his ‘political drive’ following his experiences in the 2019 […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock should have stayed home longer than seven days after contracting coronavirus, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has claimed. Rayner, who herself has been self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms, said she was in bed for six days and her symptoms were ‘very debilitating’. The government’s guidelines state that if you have symptoms of […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg’s investment firm has been accused of profiteering from the coronavirus by exploiting the worldwide market volatility. The Tory Brexiteer MP previously founded Somerset Capital Management, which is investing in businesses that have been hit hard by the economic downturn as a result of COVID-19. He retains a 15% stake in the business despite […]

Health secretary has dramatically reduced the government target for the number of ventilators it needs to tackle the coronavirus. Health officials had originally set target of 30,000 ventilators needed to deal with treating patients with the coronavirus, but health secretary Hancock has that due to a lower case load prediction that target is now just […]

Doctors and nurses are being forced to reuse masks and to hold their breath when carrying out medical procedures due to a lack of protective equipment, it has been claimed. Dr Rinesh Parmar, chairman of the Doctors’ Association UK, said a survey of medics had found that almost half say they have no eye protection […]

Sir Keir Starmer is to begin appointing his shadow cabinet after he won a landslide victory in the Labour leadership contest. The new leader of the opposition has vowed to make it his ‘mission’ to reconnect the party with the public, saying Labour needs to change so trust can be regained. A large clear-out of […]

A hard Brexit after the coronavirus pandemic at the end of the year would leave many struggling to cope with the pressures, the SNP has warned. The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford has written to Boris Johnson, who himself has been in self-isolation with mild symptoms after being diagnosed with coronavirus last month. The letter […]

Hostilities may not break out for a while, but the verdict in the Alex Salmond trial looks set to unleash a period of dramatic upheaval in the SNP. MAURICE SMITH reports Is there any end to the controversy that has dogged Alex Salmond since his departure from Scottish politics in 2017? Cleared last week of […]

RICHARD LUCK looks back at one of the greatest and most defining scandals of the TV age. Among this year’s most anticipated dramas is ITV’s Quiz. Starring Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen, Fleabag’s Sian Clifford, Catastrophe’s Mark Bonnar, and, as TV’s Chris Tarrant, Bafta winner Michael Sheen, the three-part series focuses on the 2001 game show scandal […]

Scotland’s chief medical officer has apologised for visiting her family’s second home in Fife during the coronavirus pandemic, against her own advice that all Scots should stay home. Dr Catherine Calderwood said her reasons for visiting the house were ‘not legitimate’ and she is ‘truly sorry for not following advice she gave to others’. Despite […]

Police are not overlords, they are citizens in uniform, argues JAMES BALL. They need to guide us through this crisis, not force us. In the days shortly before the UK government eventually decided to lock down much of the country – which was still only a handful of weeks ago, even if it feels much […]

Carrie Symonds, the pregnant fiancée of prime minister Boris Johnson, has said she has spent the past week in bed with the main symptoms of coronavirus. The 32-year-old, who is expecting the couple’s baby in early summer, said she too has suffered coronavirus symptoms after Boris Johnson’s positive test for COVID-19. Symonds – who usually […]

Having left school at 16 years old while pregnant and with no qualifications, Angela Rayner was supported on a parenting course she attended at a Sure Start centre, a system introduced by New Labour. She later studied at college for qualifications in care work and sign language while looking after her young son, Ryan. Rayner […]