Category: coronavirus

Have UK exports to the EU really been ‘slashed by 68%’?

The lead in Sunday’s Observer (7th February) was ‘Fury at Gove as exports to EU slashed by 68% since Brexit’. If this headline is right, this is indeed a ‘Brexit disaster’. Fortunately, some basic due diligence suggests that it’s over the top. The Observer claims that ‘the volume of exports going through British ports to … Continue reading Have UK exports to the EU really been ‘slashed by 68%’? →

What’s behind the relatively large fall in UK GDP? (reprise…)

On Sunday, Labour’s Anneliese Dodds tweeted that the UK ‘had the worst recession and the worst growth of any major economy last year’, and that ‘Covid closed much of our economy, but the Conservatives crashed it’. Of course, this is just a tweet and almost all politicians try to score points in this way. Nonetheless, … Continue reading What’s behind the relatively large fall in UK GDP? (reprise…) →

Should teachers be prioritised for the Covid vaccine?

It’s clearly important to keep an open mind on whether educational professionals should be prioritised for the Covid vaccines, just as with other aspects of the rollout plan (such as the timing of the second jab). But for now, I’d argue against. Here's why... First, the evidence. In general, teachers have ‘slightly lower’ degrees of … Continue reading Should teachers be prioritised for the Covid vaccine? →