Downing Street refuses to call for Londoners to go back to work August 24, 2020 Downing Street has refused to call for more people to return to their offices, despite increasing fears that decreased foot traffic in central London will cripple the economy. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said today that it was up to individual employers to decide whether to bring back employees, while also refusing to say if [...]
Boris Johnson: ‘Vitally important’ schools return next week August 24, 2020 Boris Johnson has said it is “vitally important” all English schools reopen next week and that he has a “moral duty” to ensure it happens. The government has begun its push to get English schools back full time for the start of the academic year in September, despite local lockdowns in some areas. Deputy chief [...]
EU trade boss Phil Hogan apologises for attending ‘golfgate’ dinner August 24, 2020 EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan apologised for attending a golf dinner that has caused outrage in Ireland as he tried to ride out pressure to resign. Adding to the scrutiny on Hogan, it also emerged that he had been stopped and cautioned by Irish police for using his phone while driving to the dinner. The [...]
DEBATE: Are the life chances of the Covid-19 generation damaged beyond repair? August 24, 2020 Are the life chances of the Covid-19 generation damaged beyond repair? Emma Revell, head of communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says YES. Young people have had a rough pandemic. Months of education gone, exam grades tainted by confusion and uncertainty even after the U-turn, the future burden of spiralling public debt against a [...]
By ignoring the Civil War in Libya, the EU risks its stability August 24, 2020 The art of statecraft consists in large part of separating risks which cannot be tolerated from those which have to be lived with. This key political realist imperative is all but lost on the European Union. While EU leaders are focused on Belarus, which will remain close to regional power Russia whatever the outcome of [...]
A-levels are the tip of the iceberg — biased algorithms are running our lives August 24, 2020 The A-levels debacle has laid bare the stark reality of relying on algorithms to make important decisions. Between the results being announced and the government’s U-turn four days later, public outrage had reached a fever pitch at the idea that an individual could have their life chances limited because of the results other people had [...]
Rishi Sunak to tighten Treasury assessments for new projects August 23, 2020 Rishi Sunak has threatened government departments that he will be tougher in assessing new infrastructure projects as the Treasury begins to worry about the UK’s bulging deficit. The chancellor will reportedly give the Treasury more oversight of infrastructure spending by giving more power to experts to assess projects, before they report directly to himself and [...]
Cabinet draws up plans for simultaneous no-deal Brexit and second Covid wave August 23, 2020 The government has drawn up plans to deal simultaneously with a second coronavirus wave and the effects of a no-deal Brexit after December 31. The Cabinet Office’s emergency plans include telling the Navy to protect the UK’s waters from illegal EU fishing boats and deploying the army on Brtain’s streets to quell civil unrest. The [...]
Gavin Williamson was on holiday in lead-up to A-level results chaos August 23, 2020 Under fire education secretary Gavin Williamson cancelled a key meeting and went on holiday to the seaside a week before the A-level results fiasco, it has been revealed. The Sunday Times reports that Williamson went away to Scarborough, Yorkshire, on the week starting 3 August, just over a week before England’s A-level results came out. [...]
Brexit negotiations: Deal ‘will not be easy to achieve’ August 21, 2020 The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator David Frost said an exit deal with the European Union “will not be easy to achieve,” following the latest round of talks. “We have just concluded the seventh round of negotiations with the EU. As I said last week, agreement is still possible, and it is still our goal, but [...]