Welcome to FTA Politics, a weekly discussion on what's happening in Westminster from the Financial Times.

I'm Sebastian Payne. In this

week's episode we'll be looking at the latest developments in the

coronavirus crisis. Boris Johnson's lockdown of Britain, his address to the

nation, the continued concerns over why the UK isn't doing

more testing, the NHS lack of PPE equipment, the freezing of the housing market, Matt Hancock's

call for Volunteer Army, and of course Rishi Sunak's third major economic package, this time to help the nation self-employed.

I'm delighted to be joined by our political editor George Parker, science editor

Clive Cookson and political chorus one at Laura Hughes. Thank you all for

joining and if you find yourself liking this episode of FT Politics then do subscribe to all the usual channels

to receive it every Saturday morning. As you know, Corona Vives is disrupting all of our

lives and the FT is no exception. This is our first podcast we call it entirely remotely so hopefully you can stick with us even if the quality is not always up to our usual standards.

This week has been a very busy one for the coronavirus crisis and the government.

It began with Boris Johnson delivering an address to the nation late on Monday evening.

It was watched by over 27 million people where the Prime Minister announced of

unprecedented clamped down on people's ability to leave their houses, shop and

go about their daily lives. So let's begin with Boris Johnson's address to the nation last Monday evening,

where the Prime Minister spoke to over 27 million people,

following extraordinary sights last weekend where despite

orders from the government Britain's went to parks exercised outside and

filled the shops the government felt it had no other choice but to impose a lockdown, the kind of which we haven't seen in modern times.

George Parker, what was the thinking in Downey Street behind that lockdown and why did they do it through an address to the nation?

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