It is by far the cheapest available option and for what it provides in terms of protection and UK global influence, it is extraordinarily good value.
We are still in the danger zone – and that’s before you even start thinking about new variants. Much rides on surge testing, quarantines and booster shots.
Much turns on testing – and the Government should publish the full data for the Lateral Flow Test pilots.
The Government should engage local authorities and the 10,000 military personnel held at high readiness to provide increased resilience.
The key lesson from the Cambridge scheme is the importance of public support. Eighty per cent of students volunteered to take part.
The aim is to keep the service open for as much normal business as possible, but there would be no possibility of achieving this in the scenario above.
Those advocating such an option must be clear that this extraordinary human cost is something that they are willing to have others pay.
It may be good tough talk to speak of breaking international law, but it does not engender respect. His exact words were not even factually correct.
Leaders must be expected to lead by example. That includes ministers. Lasting change cannot be achieved without a clear example from the top.
We need a special regime: a UK plc with a government-owned ‘golden share’, giving the Government special powers.
If only 6,000 people, with 45 contacts each, are infected every day, we will need a capacity of 276,000 tests just to keep up.
Parliament’s role must be to encourage strategic thinking, raise reasonable questions and help the government avoid strategic errors.
A new culture of inquiry and challenge is essential if government is to be better prepared for what ministers cannot be blamed for failing to anticipate.