Day: 17 December 2021

A summary of all the most interesting stories that have appeared about politicians’ efforts to control the virus — and other acts of hubris and folly – not just in Britain, but around the world.

Simon Case, the civil servant tasked with investigating the Downing Street Christmas parties, has been accused of attending an office Christmas party in violation of last year's Tier Two restrictions.

A YouGov poll for the Times, has revealed that a majority of the British population are opposed to further Covid restrictions. Finally!

Modelling by Neil Ferguson has forecast up to 5,000 Omicron deaths a day this winter unless restrictions are tightened. The fact that he's got nearly every previous forecast wrong doesn't mean he won't be taken seriously.

Elon Musk deserves to be Time Magazine's Person of the Year (for reasons other than being the founder of SpaceX). He is a devout lockdown sceptic – a lonely position to take for a billionaire.

On December 27th, the Welsh Government will re-impose a series of new Covid restrictions in an attempt to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.

The Conservatives have lost the North Shropshire by-election to the Lib Dems. Another blow to Boris's authority and another reason it will be hard for him to impose a full lockdown without triggering a leadership challenge.

Professor David Paton has written extensively on the pandemic. We asked him about the myth of our late lockdown, whether vaccine passports make any sense at all, and what Boris Johnson should have done last year.

Mixed news on vaccines from the UKHSA this week. Unadjusted VE is still negative for 18-70 year-olds. But boosters appear to be helping. On the other hand, this only shows how poorly two doses were performing.

We're publishing an end-of-year celebration by freelance journalist Chris Morrison of all the eco loons and climate hypocrites who have made 2021 so entertaining.