COVID-19

Did Sunak mislead Parliament over Eat Out to Help Out?

— Rishi Sunak faces calls to apologise to Parliament for allegedly misleading statements about following scientific advice during the pandemic. Evidence reveals there was no consultation with scientists before implementing the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

COVID-19 Inquiry

Boris Johnson: “My mistakes during COVID did not lead to excess deaths”

— Boris Johnson, appearing at the COVID inquiry, denied government mistakes contributed to excess deaths, attributing them to an elderly population and high population density, and struggled to name a single mistake his government made.

COVID-19

Government extensively profiled NHS doctor who fought for COVID transparency

— The government compiled a dossier of information on a doctor who fought for COVID planning papers.

COVID-19 Inquiry

Matt Hancock knew COVID tier system would not work

— Matt Hancock foresaw the failure of the October 2020 COVID tier system, admitting in a witness statement that he was in despair over implementing a policy he knew wouldn’t work.

COVID-19

‘We look like a terrible, tragic joke’: COVID WhatsApps show government chaos

— The COVID inquiry was shown Whatsapp chats from the early days of the pandemic in which cabinet secretary Simon Case said government decision-making made it look like a ‘terrible, tragic joke’.

UK Politics

The government quietly ditched its plans to help refugees learn English

— Suella Braverman’s attack on immigrants followed the government’s failure to deliver the promised strategy to teach English.

UK Politics

The government debunked a 15-minute city conspiracy... then endorsed it

— The Levelling up Department’s own guidance contradicts comments by Transport Secretary Mark Harper at the Conservative Conference.

Climate Change Deniers

Net zero minister linked to oil-funded group that targeted climate protesters

— Claire Coutinho was a senior fellow at Policy Exchange, which drafted the law to crack down on XR and other climate activists

United Kingdom

UK gave £690,000 subsidy to Russian airline day after invasion

— Volga-Dnepr Airlines was given a free pass to emit up to 8,700 tonnes of carbon in Britain’s skies without penalty.

OPINION

Assault rifles, wind farms, immigration and hormones: Inside NatCon

— The recent National Conservatism conference in the UK attracted a mostly male audience, with focus on immigration, gun ownership, and anti-clean energy sentiments.

UK Politics

Revealed: Government to legalise ‘hazardous’ accommodation for asylum seekers

— Housing and migrants charities blast ‘shameful’ plan to relax licensing rules around HMOs for people fleeing danger.

OPINION

The risk of nuclear war over Ukraine is real. We need diplomacy now

— The Cold War may be over, but Russia’s nuclear threat is real and dangerous. We must act to avoid a crisis.