Across the UK, online, on DAB and on your smart speaker, the Independent Republic of Mike Graham right here on talk radio.

It is very clear that we are entering a new phase in the fight against coronavirus, ladies and gentlemen.

Britain's death rates are now back to normal.

I'll just repeat that for you.

Britain's death rates are now back to normal, according to the latest data from the Office for National

Statistics. In fact, deaths in hospitals in the week ending May the 22nd are actually lower

than average for England and Wales at this time of year. In Spain, they have recorded the

second day in a row with no deaths from COVID-19, and in Italy,

scientists are saying that the virus has all but disappeared. Now, I don't know about you,

but I haven't heard anybody talking about this. I haven't seen it trumpeted all over the front

pages of the papers, who seem more obsessed about whether or not we're all going to be able to have a

summer holiday. This to me is pretty important news. Am I the only person that can see it?

Am I the only journalist in the entire Western world that thinks that this is good news?

Are we the only radio station that talks sense? I'm afraid the answer to all of those questions

would appear to be yes. In Downing Street, the Prime Minister is shaking up his team and bringing

a new permanent secretary to run number 10.

His name is Simon Case. He's a former aide to Prince William. The idea is to set up a new

strategy committee and to give more power to Michael Goh. They're also clearing out some of the

flotsam and jetsam that they've had working there for a while, and they're all going to have

to go back to their day jobs. Meanwhile, over at Starma Towers, it's all doom and gloom.

The leader of the Labour Party isn't interested in the facts. He's not interested in the

death rates going down. He's only interested in carping from the sidelines and, in his words,

...