The Spectator

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis Researchers at Oxford University have said that a £5 steroid can cut Covid-19 deaths by a third.The number of people claiming work-related benefits has jumped to 2.8 million while 600,000 people have lost their jobs since March. Kate Andrews has the details below.The Department for International Development is set to be merged with the Foreign Office, which will control the £14 billion aid budget. James Forsyth explains on Coffee House.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis Shops reopen in England today, with long queues outside stores like Primark (see photo below). The government is considering lowering VAT to lure back nervous shoppers, according to the Times.More than one million people have not been able to receive any support from government coronavirus schemes, according to the Treasury Select Committee.Antibody tests used by the government could miss up to 25 per cent of coronavirus cases.Controls to stop the spread of Covid-19 in hospitals were relaxed at the height of the crisis, according to a report in the Telegraph.

Home The government lurched uncertainly in dealing with coronavirus. Not all years in primary schools would after all return before September, and secondary schools perhaps not even then. A 14-day quarantine was imposed on people entering the country. Churches could open for individual prayer from 15 June, as could shops of all kinds. Pubs, restaurants and hairdressers would have to wait until 4 July at the earliest. Face coverings were made obligatory on public transport from 15 June. The number of workers furloughed reached 8.9 million, and 2.6 million more had made claims under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. The drug company AstraZeneca began to make a planned two billion doses of a coronavirus vaccine while trials proceeded on its safety and efficacy.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis  New Covid-19 analysis from the University of Cambridge finds the R number has risen throughout England due to ‘increasing mobility’ and ‘mixing households’. It is estimated to be around 1 in the North West and South West, and below one in all other regions of England.American employment rose by a staggering 2.5 million in May – the biggest monthly jobs gain in US history.Covid-19 infections peaked roughly five days before lockdown was announced in England and Wales, according to a new study. Details below.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis  Business Secretary Alok Sharma has self-isolated after showing symptoms of Covid-19 in the House of Commons. Around 25 people are diagnosed in London each day.The two-week quarantine for arrivals to the UK was not put before the science advisory group Sage, according to members of the body. Details below.However, while Tory backbenchers dislike the policy, exclusive polling for The Spectator reveals that 67% of the public support the two-week quarantine. Katy Balls has the details.Boris Johnson is to host a virtual vaccine summit today with 35 other heads of state.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis More Covid-19 deaths in Scotland have happened in care homes than hospitals, according to the National Records of Scotland. Details below.A report from the Education Endowment Foundation finds that the attainment gap caused by shutting down schools could wipe out a decade of gains from education policy. Ross Clark has the details below.The NHS test-and-trace programme is not tracing the contacts of at least 60% of people who test positive for Covid-19.MPs have voted to end voting from home.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis  Public Health England has released its report on the effects of Covid-19 on BAME communities, which finds that black and Asian ethnic groups are ‘up to twice as likely to die with Covid-19 than those from a white British background’. The biggest risk factors are age and gender.The ONS reports an additional 51,466 deaths this year over the five-year average, as the death toll linked to Covid-19 approaches 50,000. Details below.Half of UK hospitals have reported no Covid-19 deaths in the past two days.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis Primary school pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 can return to school from today. The National Foundation for Educational Research estimates that 46 per cent of parents will keep their children home over safety fears.Some 2.4 million cancer patients have missed out on tests and treatment because of a backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Cancer Research UK.Fewer than 80 prisoners have been released early to stop the spread of Covid-19 in prisons. The government had previously said up to 4,000 would need to be freed.Some 2.

The Spectator brings you the latest insight, news and research from the front line. Sign up here to receive this briefing daily by email, and stay abreast of developments both at home and abroad. News and analysis  Rishi Sunak is set to announce changes to the furlough scheme this afternoon. Details below.Groups of up to six people can meet outside in England from Monday. Meanwhile Scotland has begun to ease its lockdown as people from two different households can now meet.The first Covid rehab centre, designed to help patients recovering from the virus, has taken in its first patients.‘More than two additional hours of teaching per week might be needed over a year to compensate for each school week lost to Covid-19’, according to a report from the LSE.

Site test What’s on offer in the town of Barnard Castle? — Ruined 12th-century castle perched high above the Tees, built by Bernard de Balliol and later passed into the hands of Richard III, whose emblem appears above an inner window. — Bowes Museum: magnificent 19th-century French-style gallery built by mine-owner John Bowes and his wife, Josephine. Contains works by El Greco, Goya and Canaletto. Most popular exhibit is a mechanical silver swan which preens itself every day at 2 p.m. — Teeside Way: riverside walk in gorge of River Tees. — Barnard Castle Band: a brass band which has been going since 1860. Signs and symptoms The government broadened the official listed symptoms of Covid-19.