News and Opinion

After Boris Johnson and health secretary Matt Hancock tested positive for coronavirus, the prime minister’s key adviser was seen running away from Downing Street. Cummings, who was reported last month to have said that it was ‘too bad’ if pensioners die from COVID-19 until he saw fresh science, was seen scarpering from his workplace after […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock havstested positive for coronavirus. Nearly two hours after Boris Johnson announced he had tested positive for Covid-19, Hancock tweeted that he too had mild symptoms and was working from home and self-isolating. Hancock said in a video message that he would be self-isolating until next Thursday. ‘Fortunately for me the symptoms […]

ZOE WILLIAMS offers comforting words for all those faced with the challenge of trying to home-school their children. Sometime in 2013, I was congratulating myself for the astonishing foresight of my two (unplanned) pregnancies: since, by happy coincidence, my oldest was a September, my youngest an August, so even though they are two calendar years […]

Lib Dem MP LAYLA MORAN said that the government had put Brexit over breathing by not participating in the EU’s ventilator scheme. But rather than criticising the latest u-turn, we should welcome it. A few weeks ago, the EU announced that it would be ordering large quantities of ventilators and other medical equipment under its […]

Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating in Downing Street. The prime minister was tested in Number 10 after experiencing mild symptoms on Thursday. Johnson, who has a high temperature and persistent cough, said he would still lead the ‘national fightback’ against the virus from his flat above Number 11. The 55-year-old […]

Outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said the government’s response to the coronavirus proves he was ‘absolutely right’ about his approach to public spending in the party’s manifesto at the general election. Corbyn said that he had been denounced in the election as someone ‘that wanted to spend more money than we could possibly afford’ […]

A doctor has said the public’s applause for the NHS was a welcome boost ‘as we head into the storm’. People in Wapping Wharf, Bristol, come out onto their balconies to join in a national applause for the NHS from their doorsteps, windows and balconies to show their appreciation for all NHS workers who are […]

The Liberal Democrats have suspended their leadership campaign for a year so the party can focus its full attention on the ‘fallout’ from coronavirus. The party had been due to start the process for replacing Jo Swinson, who was forced to step down as leader after losing her seat at the December general election, in […]

NABIL ZOUHIR, who is locked down in Florence, assesses the morale of the nation – and describes the small moments helping hold neighbourhoods together. Nabil Zouhir, who is locked down in Florence due to coronavirus, says small moments are holding neighbourhoods together across Italy. Pictured is Piazza Vittorio in Turin. Picture: Archant – Credit: Archant […]

As a New European reader, you probably reckon you keep a close eye on the continent’s news. Test yourself with our quiz… Think you’re on top of what’s been going on across Europe in the past seven days? Take The New European’s tricky quiz and find out just how much of a Europhile you are…

JASON WALSH reports from the most densely-populated city in Europe on how it is adjusting to life in the era of coronavirus. The searchlight shines out across Paris as normal. As clichéd an image of Paris that there is, the Eiffel Tower’s lighthouse-like sweep is surely more welcome than ever. Louis XIV’s policy of lighting […]

After initially claiming it did not join an EU scheme for ventilators because of Brexit, it now blames an ’email error’ for missing the invitation. The prime minister’s official spokesperson had originally claimed hours before the UK had ignored the EU joint procurement schemes, which allows access to the life-saving equipment more quickly and cheaply, […]

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Self-employed workers will be able to claim support worth 80% of their average monthly profits to cover the impact of coronvirus, but may not receive payments until June. The chancellor said the move – worth up to a maximum of £2,500 a month – would cover 95% of self-employed workers. The package comes after the […]

The New European’s Editor-at-Large has a few tips for the prime minister when it comes to addressing the nation. Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, and Dr Anthony Fauci, director at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, look on as US president Donald Trump delivers a briefing amid the coronavirus pandemic. […]

The COVID-19 crisis represents an opportunity for positive change that could span decades, according to JAMES BALL. Boris Johnson is almost certainly not a fan of the man who coined the phrase ‘there are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen’ – it was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin – but even he […]

Boris Johnson has been criticised for not allowing the UK to take part in an EU scheme to boost the number of ventilators, with allegations that Brexit ideology was being placed above demand for the essential equipment. Liberal Democrat acting leader Ed Davey said it was time for Johnson to put his Brexit views to […]

With the coronavirus lockdown in place, a change in daily routines can cause anxiety levels to rise. But DUSANA DORJEE says there are ways to turn these thoughts into positive mental health habits. Given the constant stream of negative news about the novel coronavirus pandemic, it’s easy to feel anxious and uncertain. Anxiety is also […]

Social media giants will be called into parliament to explain how they are tackling misinformation about coronavirus spreading online. The Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has asked members of the public to send in evidence of false Covid-19 information circulating in their social networks. Committee chairman Julian Knight said tech giants were ‘morally […]

Why Boris Johnson’s prime ministerial style still jars with the mood of national peril. Michael White has assessed the suitability of Boris Johnson’s prime ministerial style during the coronavirus crisis. Picture: Martin Rowson – Credit: Archant More than ever I’m impressed by imaginative futurologists who boldly demand ‘action this day’ to tackle the coronavirus pandemic […]

The government has said it is yet to sign a contract with Dyson, despite claims from the billionaire inventor that they were making 10,000 for the NHS. Sir James emailed Dyson staff to say ‘we have received an initial order of 10,000 units from the UK government’. He said teams of engineers had been working […]

The pro-Brexit boss of high street fashion chain Next is encouraging workers to turn up to work despite government warnings to stay home. Next chief executive and Conservative peer Simon Wolfson is asking workers to travel to shuttered sites and pick clothes for online orders ‘to keep the company operating’. But worried staff have questioned […]

The government has been heavily criticised for its response to COVID-19. Many concerns are warranted, but VAGEESH JAIN says we should now look forward with optimism and hope rather than despair. Over the past couple of weeks, the UK government has received unwavering criticism for its response to COVID-19. Several faultfinders have unleashed their uninhibited […]

Who is on Question Time tonight? Here’s your guide Tonight’s audience-free Question Time comes from Shrewsbury, the Shropshire town literally nobody can be sure of how to pronounce. But who’s on the panel? Here’s your complete guide… Robert Jenrick Who? Housing, communities and local government secretary Barely a household name in his own household, Jenrick […]

The prime minister has been urged to act over the treatment of workers during the coronavirus outbreak by Sports Direct and Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, and Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin. Both companies have faced heavy criticism over their handling of staff welfare, with conflicting messages over pay and working hours. Ashley’s Frasers Group has been […]

Viewers could not help but laugh when Brexiteer politician Iain Duncan Smith appeared on the BBC’s Newsnight looking bright orange. Iain Duncan Smith appears on Newsnight via webcam. Photograph: BBC. – Credit: Archant There was a mix of laughter and concern after the Tory MP and former party leader appeared on Skype with a video […]

The public will be able to conduct coronavirus antibody tests at home within a matter of days, rather than weeks and months, MPs have heard. Professor Sharon Peacock, director of the National Infection Service, Public Health England (PHE) told the Science and Technology Committee that it could be ready for the public in Boots stores […]

The chamber was as empty as Boris Johnson’s rhetoric as MPs convened for the final PMQs for a potentially long time – and Jeremy Corbyn’s last ever Only a small proportion of MPs had bothered, sensibly, to trek to London for the last session before the parliamentary break, and those who were in the chamber […]