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A British cruise ship that was turned...

The government is sending mixed messages. Johnson's coronavirus briefings may make things worse | Simon Jenkins

After a weekend in which Matt Hancock distanced himself from herd immunity, public confidence urgently needs to be restored

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Boris Johnson is to hold a daily press conference on coronavirus. If ever an accident was waiting to happen, this is it. Downing Street hopes to put a stop to days of scientists and ministers falling out over how the crisis should be handled. Good luck with that.

When all eyes are rightly concentrated on the judgment of professionals, it is...

Johnson’s egocentric budget gives him everything and local councils nothing | Simon Jenkins

Stifling local democracy and centralising control is the style of Orbáns Hungary or Erdoğans Turkey

Populism has arrived, blue in tooth and claw. Rishi Sunaks budget, clearly dictated from 10 Downing Street, proposes a staggering £600bn of extra public spending over the current parliament, showing an enthusiasm for public spending not seen seen since postwar reconstruction in the 1950s. Apart from cash set aside for coronavirus, it is going not into peoples pockets but largely into state...

There will be no easy cure for a recession triggered by the coronavirus | Simon Jenkins

An economic collapse may have already begun and globalisation will make recovery more difficult

The world appears to be on the brink of a sudden recession. The economic disruption caused by the coronavirus might put an end to what has been a heady decade on the world stock market since, after the 2008 global financial crisis, low interest rates and quantitative easing became the new normal. Today’s markets are registering massive falls of up to 10%, unprecedented since 2008. Billions of...

Why I’m taking the coronavirus hype with a pinch of salt | Simon Jenkins

We’ve been here before, and the direst predictions have not come to pass

Never, ever, should a government use war as a metaphor in a time of peace. Britain is not at war with coronavirus. The phrase and its cognates should be banned. Those who exploit them to heighten panic and win obedience to authority should be dismissed from public office.

Related: No, you won't get the coronavirus from Chinese food. And don't drink bleach | Ranjana Srivastava

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Top of the shops: how has Oxford Street survived the slow death of the high street?

It was the birthplace of the modern retail experience and is still one of the world’s most famous shopping destinations. But why, in an age of online retail, do shoppers still flock to it?

Harry Gordon Selfridge was out to win. The year was 1909 and the US retail magnate was opening his new store in London’s Oxford Street. His rival was the terracotta monolith of Harrods in Knightsbridge. The latter had just opened complete with an escalator, which so terrified customers that staff had to...

On fishing and farming, Johnson may again be forced to back down | Simon Jenkins

In his dealings with Brussels, the prime minister must remember that nothing could replace the loss of the continental market

When anyone mentions fishing and farming to a Brexit minister, the usual answer is that they are a trivial 1% of Britain’s economy. Perhaps they are. But they are not 1% of its politics.

As talks start this week in Brussels, British negotiators have been sent into battle by Boris Johnson with the pompous rhetoric of Henry V at Harfleur. They must give not an inch. First...

If the regions are to rise, London must take a hit | Simon Jenkins

Northern cities will only flourish when the capital stops stealing their young people

I recall one word that dominated a business seminar in Manchester some time ago. The seminar was on the north-south divide, and the word was London. It was obsessive. Why does London keep taking our best people, everyone asked? Why do our children all want to get to London?

This week’s report by Lord Kerslake on the north-south divide presents the problem in graphic terms. The Organisation for Economic...

Priti Patel is out of her depth – and that is Boris Johnson’s fault | Simon Jenkins

The Home Office needs artful, subtle leadership. Instead, it’s been saddled with an insensitive rightwing loyalist

When a boss and her number two issue statements professing love for each other, something is wrong. Witness the home secretary, Priti Patel, and her chief civil servant, Philip Rutnam, countering rumours from within their department. These allegations about Patel, leaked to the press, include “bullying”, “belittling officials”, creating an atmosphere of fear, and being out of her...

We can’t leave it to billionaires like Bezos and Bloomberg to solve the world’s problems | Simon Jenkins

It’s up to government to tax and spend for the good of all, and not the mega-rich seeking a warm glow

So who do you want for president, this “arrogant billionaire” or the other one? You don’t have to be rich to win US elections, but it helps. Michael Bloomberg’s assault on the Democratic party may be an extreme case of wealth attempting to buy power, but, as he implied on Wednesday, if it takes a person of extreme wealth to be rid of Donald Trump, so be it.

At least Bloomberg is running for...