Boris Johnson may have given up shaking hands more than a week ago, but it is not in the nature or the craft of politicians to keep their physical distance from other people. In this time of isolation, it seems political leaders are more prone than most to bend the rules, apparently unconvinced that they … Read more
Boris Johnson and the health secretary, Matt Hancock, have tested positive for coronavirus, they revealed on Friday, leaving them to work in isolation on leading the government’s efforts to tackle the pandemic. The prime minister, who is 55, will self-isolate for seven days in his flat above No 11 Downing Street after announcing that he … Read more
10.25am GMT10:25 Retired Met Police officers asked to return The Metropolitan Police commissioner, Cressida Dick, is writing to former officers who have retired within the last five years asking them to re-join the force as it tries to cope with the coronavirus outbreak. Former PCs and sergeants will be offered work in a paid or … Read more
We keep hearing that this is a war. Is it really? What helps to give the current crisis its wartime feel is the apparent absence of normal political argument. The prime minister goes on TV to issue a sombre statement to the nation about the curtailment of our liberties and the leader of the opposition … Read more
The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has unveiled an emergency support package to protect Britain’s 5 million self-employed workers. But how will it work in practice? How much am I going to get? The government will pay self-employed people a taxable grant based on their previous monthly earnings over the last three years, worth up to 80% … Read more