A prolonged battle against Covid-19 would swallow up a large chunk of the government’s planned increase in public spending and force the chancellor into an unenviable choice between fresh austerity, higher taxes or more borrowing, a leading thinktank has warned. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said that even if only a quarter of the extra … Read more Covid costs could wipe out Sunak’s spending plans, says IFS | Politics
Charles Moore’s suitability to be the next chair of the BBC has come in for further criticism after the Tory head of the parliamentary culture committee suggested it would be “beyond the pale” to appoint someone who has been convicted for not paying the licence fee. The former Telegraph chair, believed to be Boris Johnson’s … Read more Idea of Charles Moore as BBC chair ‘beyond the pale’, says Tory MP | BBC
Boris Johnson has apologised and said he “misspoke” after wrongly suggesting the “rule of six” limiting public gatherings does not apply outdoors in north-east England, adding to confusion about the latest lockdown rules. Answering media questions after a speech in Exeter, the prime minister had said: “Outside the areas such as the north-east where extra … Read more Boris Johnson apologises for getting north-east England lockdown rules wrong | World news
To find the fault lines in society, follow the bots. Fake social media accounts crawl all over the issues that divide us, spreading lies and confusion. For every human being with a genuine grievance on Twitter and Facebook, there is an army of automated outrage amplifiers. For or against, left or right, it doesn’t matter … Read more Boris Johnson helped sow the discord that’s making it hard for him to govern | Rafael Behr | Opinion
French police have dismantled a migrant camp in the northern port of Calais from where thousands of people have sought to cross the Channel to reach British shores. The operation to clear the makeshift camp, which was home to about 700 people, began shortly before sunrise on Tuesday. It was the biggest such operation since … Read more French police clear migrant camp at launch point for Britain | World news