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  1. Long reads
1 July 2020updated 03 Jul 2020 12:29pm

Anatomy of a Crisis: How the government failed us over coronavirus

A special issue of the New Statesman offers a comprehensive and forensic examination of the UK’s response to Covid-19.  

By New Statesman

How the UK floundered in the face of Covid-19

Britain and Covid-19: a chronicle of incompetence

A long read by Martin Fletcher on six months that shook the UK as an “arrogant, cavalier and complacent” government squandered valuable time. 

The fatal delusions of Boris Johnson

An essay by Fintan O’Toole on why post-Brexit Britain proved incapable of fulfilling its most basic responsibility: keeping its citizens safe. 

How the UK trailed the rest of the world

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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NS data analysis reveals that it took the UK ten days after its tenth Covid-19 death to cancel public events and close schools – longer than any other country.

Leader: Someone has blundered

Our editorial on why it is now imperative for the UK to learn from its failures.

Why Britain failed: the international view 

How the UK looks from abroad 

Writers from France, Germany, Poland, Georgia and New Zealand on why the British government’s handling of the pandemic is viewed as a cautionary tale.

The government’s avoidable errors

Slow to lock down, slow to stop the spread – the charts that show the ineffectiveness of the UK’s Covid-19 response

An NS data investigation shows the UK acted the slowest of any major economy – a decision that may have cost thousands of lives. 

How Britain’s essential but most vulnerable workers were exposed as the virus spread rapidly

The New Statesman’s Britain editor Anoosh Chakelian on “the great betrayal” of the workers we all depend on.

The government chose to follow the wrong science – with lethal social and economic consequences

Our health columnist Phil Whitaker on how the UK’s overconfidence in theoretical modelling was rudely exposed. 

The schools debacle reveals what has gone wrong for a government that is rapidly losing authority

Helen Thompson on how the government’s failings and structural problems have lethally combined in the field of education. 

Why Britain was unprepared for catastrophe 

Where did the UK go wrong?

Sage contributors and other health and science experts deliver their judgement on the UK government’s response.

Ten years of data reveal how austerity weakened the UK’s pandemic response

Cuts to local and national services over the past decade appear almost perfectly tailored to damage resilience in the face of coronavirus, write Anoosh Chakelian and Michael Goodier. 

The crises to come

Revealed: Three quarters of leading UK businesses plan to cut jobs

A survey of more than 500 industry leaders, including chief executives, directors and vice presidents, shows the potentially devastating economic consequences of the pandemic, writes Oscar Williams. 

How to stop a pandemic

Anjana Ahuja on the lessons our leaders must learn from the Covid-19 crisis to prepare for the next virus.

Newly released data shows towns in the North and Midlands at risk of a second wave

Local lockdowns in Bradford, Barnsley and Rochdale could follow that in Leicester, reports Michael Goodier. 

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
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Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
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