4.4 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 5 January 2021
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Stephen Bush and Ailbhe Rea sit down for the first time in 2021 to discuss the government's response to the new Covid variation, the inevitability of a new national lockdown, and the political fallout for Boris Johnson. They also take your questions on Labour's uncertain stance on school closures.
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We'd love to hear from you! Send us your You Ask Us questions at youaskus.co.uk. You can follow Stephen Bush on twitter @stephenkb. Ailbhe Rea is @PronouncedAlva.
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Topics in this podcast:
UK Coronavirus
Covid 19
The NHS
National lockdown restrictions
School closures
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Devolved administrations
Political impact of the crisis for Boris Johnson
Labour
Conservatives
Liberal Democrats
People mentioned this podcast:
Boris Johnson
Nicola Sturgeon
Keir Starmer
Ed Davey
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0:00.0 | The New Statesman Podcast is sponsored by Barclays, sparking opportunities in your community. |
0:06.0 | Through Barclays' life skills, the bank is helping millions of people develop the vital employability and financial skills they need to succeed at work, thrive in the digital age and better manage their money. |
0:18.0 | With a focus on supporting underserved communities, Berkeley's life skills is being delivered in partnership |
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0:36.0 | Barclays is sparking opportunities in your community through Barclays life skills. |
0:42.0 | To find out more, search Barclays communities. I'm Alva and I'm Stephen and you're listening to the new states from podcast. On today's |
1:01.9 | episode we talk about the UK's coronavirus response and you ask |
1:07.6 | us why isn't Kirst-arma aligned with the teaching unions on schools closing. So we're back after our break for Christmas. |
1:18.9 | Anush is still on holiday. |
1:21.2 | Stephen we have a lot to catch up on since we last spoke. We are |
1:27.6 | recording on Monday afternoon and we're currently in the situation where senior conservatives including Jeremy Hunt are calling on Boris Johnson to introduce a full national lockdown and it is looking increasingly likely that that is going to happen maybe even |
1:45.4 | potentially later today we might see some sort of announcement not least because |
1:49.8 | Boris Johnson himself said this morning that tougher restrictions are inevitable. |
1:56.0 | If it isn't too grand a question Stephen, where would you say we are in terms of our coronavirus response |
2:01.2 | and what do you think are the big problems that have led us here? |
2:05.0 | Well I think in some ways the problem is there is no such thing as the UK's |
2:11.1 | coronavirus response not just in a kind of event I'm sure we'll get |
2:14.4 | on to the like England Scotland Wales element further on in the episode but there's the |
2:18.6 | government sort of revealed policy choice which is basically like what is the kind of like between like Boris Johnson's |
2:26.7 | unwillingness slash inability to do any of the like executive stuff where you go I am prioritizing |
2:32.0 | X so to take obviously, current example, |
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