Analysis

Without a fresh new vision, the next Conservative prime minister risks leading their party to election loss.

— Be it Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak, the incoming leader – and next prime minister – will inherit a party in deep trouble and in a precarious position that risks losing the next general election.

Education

How teachers supported children and parents through COVID-19 school closures.

— Teachers went to great effort to help parents support their children’s learning during the lockdown periods.

Analysis

What ethical standards should we hold politicians to?

— Is a “good” politician one who is good at making dirty deals and engages in sleazy behaviour only in their personal life, or is unethical behaviour in personal life likely to translate into bad ethical character in public life?

Monkeypox

Monkeypox: An expert explains what we need to know.

— How monkeypox spreads and how to protect yourself.

Analysis

Boris Johnson is a bit like Churchill – but not in the ways he might want.

— Both Churchill and Johnson had a complicated relationship with the Conservative Party. The only way they compare?

UK Politics

Boris Johnson says his time as UK PM was ‘mission largely accomplished’. How does that actually stack up?

— Boris Johnson is about to leave 10 Downing Street to be replaced by one of two colleagues. His history in the top job is a chequered one.

Long-Read

London’s Olympic legacy: Why £2.2 billion investment in primary school PE has failed teachers.

— The 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics promised to have a major impact on school sports. Ten years on, many primary school PE lessons have been outsourced to private sports contractors, resulting in the ‘deskilling’ of a generation of teachers.

The Uber Files

The Uber Files: Leaked documents reveal a strategy of chaos – has anything changed?

— Uber has managed to change some of its practices, but it is still butting heads with regulators and governments to push existing rules closer to its preferences, fighting regulations as its survival strategy.

COVID-19

Stronger democracies have seen fewer excess deaths during COVID.

— The way societies are governed seems to have influenced how they’ve fared in terms of excess deaths during the pandemic. For pandemic preparedness, the public must be able to trust authorities and institutions.

Refugees

Survey shows British people, and especially Tory voters, feel very differently about some refugees than others.

— A heartening 70% of British voters want to allow Ukrainians into the UK but only 50% feel the same way about Afghans. And the difference is even starker among those who vote Conservative.

Long COVID

Long COVID: Female sex, older age and existing health problems increase risk – new research.

— A new study has analysed UK data from long-term health surveys and electronic health records to understand how common long COVID is, and who might be at higher risk.

UK Politics

Boris Johnson: Four key insights from recent polls can help us see where the crisis is heading.

— The prime minister’s personal popularity has plummeted but the people who decide how to replace him still can’t agree on a successor.

Indyref2

Scottish independence: What has changed since the last referendum.

— If the UK continues down paths that further isolate it from the EU and the wider world stage, Scottish attitudes to the Union may harden. Especially because Boris Johnson is personally very unpopular in Scotland.

Climate Change

Human disruption to Earth’s freshwater cycle has exceeded the safe limit, our research shows.

— Humanity is no longer in the safe zone. ‘Green water’ is essential for healthy soils and a benign climate, but it’s under threat. Immediate action is needed to maintain a resilient and nourishing freshwater cycle.

Analysis

Northern Ireland protocol row could damage good faith needed for post-Brexit trade deals.

— Boris Johnson’s government’s handling of the Northern Ireland protocol could spell trouble for the UK’s post-Brexit trade negotiations. The process of rebuilding trust is far slower when the breach of trust has been coupled with deceit or denial.

Human Rights

Commonwealth leaders gather in Rwanda as UK refugee plan focuses attention on human rights.

— The Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Rwanda will be complicated by the UK’s plan to send refugees to Rwanda. A policy that, like almost everything else Boris Johnson touches, is likely to reflect badly on everyone involved.