Section: UK

The prime minister’s Easter coronavirus announcement will take place 5pm this evening. What’s in his basket of tricks?

Brits in the EU are traditionally ignored by mainstream media, unless they misbehave. Sue Wilson comments on the treatment of Brits abroad and the recent refusal of entry into Spain. Both covid and Brexit played a role in this.

Breaking with the EU has already been hard, but if we start to really diverge in food standards – such as on gene editing, pesticides or antibiotic use – our farmers and food manufacturers are likely to find our biggest, closest and most amenable marketplace quickly closing its doors

Marc Limon explains how the BBC could be used as a model for rejuvenating civil society and the digital world, so that it can be used to improve democracy and human rights.

100 Days into Brexit, Richard Corbett writes, and the Brexit deal which we are operating under is only temporary. The European Parliament still has serious concerns about the deal, particularly after the vaccine rows triggered by the UK in recent weeks.

Meryl White kindly shares her Easter, Spring-time Simnel cake recipe with Yorkshire Bylines. In just a few easy steps, this delightful cake is ready to eat.

Mhairi Snowden, director at the Human Rights Consortium Scotland, says that almost 100 days since the end of the Brexit transition period, what we’re seeing about the potential impact on human rights is concerning

Boris Johnson has rendered the phrase “they’re all the same” totally redundant. He is in class of his own, impropriety personified

The notion that free trade with the EU and single market membership were the same thing is to misunderstand what the single market and the customs union has created, argues Professor Chris Grey

David Goff points out that vast amounts of money have been spent on a Track and Trace system which doesn’t even work, and was set up in the name of the NHS. Billions have been spent on an app which could have been spent on food parcels, surgical gowns and PPE. Can we have our money back?

It is now abundantly clear that the massive overnight changes to trade terms, which industry only learned about with seven days to go and with inadequate guidance and woeful preparations, have been a disaster for Britain’s £700 billion a year trade with the EU.

Legend has it that Roosevelt’s radio address on 24 July 1933 gave us the phrase “first 100 days” although some maintain the concept has its roots in Bonaparte’s France. Whatever its origins, there is a wide-held belief that there’s a magic honeymoon period for a new president, prime minister, or administration, that allows them significant […]

Alex Salmond has surprised some in Scotland and many more in other parts of the UK by launching a new, pro-independence party, the Alba Party. What does this mean for the future of the union?

Andy Brown asks why the government is so keen to look to expanding its nuclear arsenal, while it cuts its aid budget and army size. The nuclear option has not helped us in recent conflicts, building strong alliances and looking to the warfare of the future is the answer.

Peter Benson draws to light the impact the pandemic has had on mental health and people’s wellbeing. He quotes a ‘Mind’ ambassador, who tell us all to embrace our emotions and check up on friends and family.

Martin Philips, in his first article for Yorkshire Bylines, draws attention to public concern over post-Brexit food standards in the UK. Strong UK leadership will be required to consider the environment, animal welfare and ethical trading.

Rachel Trafford, from the Immigration Advice Service, details why the immigration and asylum system is broken due to the unworkable bureaucracy of the system itself and its operational failures

Racial disparities within our healthcare system are a virus that plagues the NHS. People from minority ethnic backgrounds in the UK face worse outcomes personally and professionally, as both patients and healthcare staff. The Covid-19 pandemic has only served to highlight these longstanding injustices.

Charlie McCarthy explains the emerging problem of unpaid rent and the UK’s debt crisis. Social housing in Britain has suffered over the past decades. The pandemic itself, despite the ban on evictions, has also meant young renters have been worst-impacted with high rents and poorly maintained properties.

Before they disband, the Lords committee, and its four subcommittees, have produced a final five reports, all under the heading ‘Beyond Brexit’.

On the day that he became prime minster, Boris Johnson declared, “We will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared”. Eighteen months later nothing has been seen of this ‘clear plan’, with no mention of social care financing in the recent budget.

Peter Norcliffe, as part of his Norky’s ramblings, reminisces on his holidays as a six-year old, eating ice cream, pretending to have drowned, and getting caught up with the police.

Many EU citizens have not yet applied for settled status. With fewer than 100 days to go until the deadline on 30 June, I decided I would ask all those I met who I thought might be from the EU if they had applied and encourage them to do so if they had not. I […]

Helen Johnson outlines the key issues that divide Leavers and Remainers over Brexit. A small percent of the population think Brexit will negatively impact the economy.

Aidan Enright, in his first article for Yorkshire Bylines, explains the relationship between Starmer, Labour and Ireland. He asks what consequence a border poll would have for Labour and Conservatives, and whether Starmer can reassure unionists he understands their concerns.

Marc Limon explains the significance of the right to protest. The UK government’s attempt to pass a bill which will curb protests and give police more power, is a direct threat to democracy and human rights.

Barry White presents a roundup of the latest media news, as media ownership becomes more concentrated, GB News prepares for launch, and more job losses are announced at the BBC.

Jack Walker picks apart the lunacy of the hashtag #NotAllMen, which attempts to make people aware that not all men harass women. He acknowledges the privilege that men possess in terms of safety, and urges men to do more by calling out misogyny.

Alex Toal asks, are young people left as citizens of nowhere by our system which prioritises the politics of place over the politics of the nation? With young people more mobile than any generation before them, their politics is increasingly focused on national issues rather than local ones. Our system still fails them.

Andy Brown asks what use a potential pandemic inquiry could really be. An inquiry will not tell us more than what we know about why the government failed. We need to learn lessons.