The MP had returned to her previous job as a carer to help during the pandemic Nadia Whittome was sacked from working as a carer during the coronavirus lockdown after speaking out about the need for and lack of personal protective equipment (PPE). A member of parliament for Nottingham East since the 2019 general election, Whittome […]

6 years ago

Shut the fridge, again Last year we asked the British public to try and guess how much certain medical procedures cost in the United States, from an ambulance callout to giving birth, to more serious procedures and long-term treatments. In a country whose society is ingrained with the National Health Service, the reactions were understandably […]

6 years ago

Domestic violence has increased under lockdown While thousands suffer from coronavirus, many more suffer in silence at home. One of the consequences of the lockdown enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a rise in domestic violence. Victims who under different circumstances would be able to contact emergency services or friends and family are […]

6 years ago

‘The Swedish model’ has been much talked about during the pandemic Hans Bergström is a Swedish-American journalist, the former editor of Sweden’s leading daily newspaper, and a professor of political science at the University of Gothenburg. He spoke to JOE about Sweden’s unique approach to coronavirus, which was initially lauded by many as an example […]

6 years ago

What matters more? The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating for the United Kingdom, as it has been for much of the world. Thousands are dying and with the country in lockdown, many more are either losing their jobs or being placed on furlough. The continued fallout of the pandemic has forced us to confront a […]

6 years ago

What is the UK’s real COVID-19 death toll? 40,000 people – that’s how many Britons the Financial Times says have died during this coronavirus pandemic. That figure is more than double the government’s official figure of less than 20,000. Many of those people have died in care homes. JOE reports on the grim state of […]

6 years ago

How does the UK response compare to others? Coronavirus has spread from China and across the world – but not every nation has responded to the disease in the same way. China and Italy have seen authoritarian lockdowns imposed, the United Kingdom slightly less so, and in the United States the president Donald Trump has […]

6 years ago

The term ‘herd immunity’ has become kryptonite to the British government What is the British government’s policy to the outbreak of COVID-19? Ask someone on the street (do not go out onto the street, just message a friend) and it’s unlikely they’ll be able to say for sure what it is. The word ‘lockdown’ will […]

6 years ago

Care homes have been hit hard by COVID-19 The spread of COVID-19 is having a devastating impact on the United Kingdom. There are now more than 120,000 confirmed cases here, and more than 16,000 deaths from the virus. While we are presented with these kinds of figures on a daily basis from the government, some […]

6 years ago

Did Boris prioritise the economy over public health? In February of 2020, Boris Johnson discussed the possibility that diseases like the coronavirus could provoke a nationwide and global panic beyond “what is medically rational”, stating that at that time, “humanity needs some government somewhere that is at least willing to make the case powerfully for […]

6 years ago

Should China be punished for its handling of COVID-19? Douglas Murray is an author and journalist. His two most recent books are the Strange Death of Europe and The Madness of Crowds. He spoke to JOE about what the world will look like after the coronavirus pandemic and the quiet heroism of how people are […]

6 years ago

“We’ve never had so many deaths” As the coronavirus outbreak continues to cause unprecedented death in the United Kingdom, care homes have become one of the dangerous places for the spread of the disease. While the government has released daily figures detailing the number of people to die from COVID-19, it has not included the […]

6 years ago

John Ashton was the public health director for Cumbria for 13 years Much has been made of the United Kingdom’s reaction to the coronavirus crisis. The UK had time and perspective to come up with a sensible approach to the virus, having seen what had happened in Italy and Spain just weeks before. Despite this, […]

6 years ago

2020 would herald a ‘decade of prosperity and opportunity’ for the United Kingdom These were the words of prime minister Boris Johnson on 31 December 2019, the same day that authorities in Wuhan, China reported a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown cause. This year was supposed to be one of glory for Johnson and, as a result, […]

6 years ago

Will lockdown lead to economic ruin? Peter Hitchens is an author and columnist for the Mail on Sunday. While many people in this country accepts and indeed favours the government’s approach to tackling coronavirus through a lockdown, Hitchens is a lonely dissenting voice, arguing that the UK approach is disproportionate to the threat it presents. […]

6 years ago

This is a time for everyone to step up As Britain faces the sort of challenge not seen since the Second World War, it has become obvious that now is the time for each citizen to play their part. For most of us playing our part will be as simple as not acting like a […]

6 years ago

Clap for our NHS heroes This is a message that has been extolled to us over the past fortnight, urging the British people to show their appreciation to those working in the National Health Service on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19. For the past two Thursdays, we have gone to our front doors […]

6 years ago

How will COVID-19 change our society? With the swipe of a pen, the government called for all rough sleepers to be housed in the United Kingdom. Why, some have asked, could this be done so quickly now at a time of national crisis, but not before? Homelessness is a disgrace for any developed nation, particular […]

6 years ago

London has been the epicentre for British COVID-19 cases Sadiq Khan is the Mayor of London, the city which has more COVID-19 cases than any other in Britain. While the country has been placed into a state of lockdown to protect its citizens, some have put forward the idea that London itself be shut off […]

6 years ago

Helping out in a crisis Nadia Whittome became the youngest Member of Parliament when she was elected last year in Nottingham East. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 she returned to care work, in the retirement village she had worked in prior to becoming an MP. She spoke to JOE about how the Coronavirus has affected […]

6 years ago

Has China contained the virus in the manner it claims to have? As the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to devastate a large portion of the world, scrutiny has grown on China. The virus is believed to have originated in the city of Wuhan in the Hubei Province. After initiating draconian measures to bring the virus’ […]

6 years ago

It sounds like the plot of a horror movie You travel to a meditation retreat for over a week with the intention of calming yourself and escaping the ravages of the modern world for a little while, then emerge at the end a more centred person, and feeling a little bit closer to both the […]

6 years ago

‘Live from self-isolation’ Greg James presents the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show and, in a time of national crisis that is the COVID-19 outbreak, his medium has taken on a new importance. Millions of people across the United Kingdom have been advised to stay at home, avoid gatherings, and We spoke to him via Skype […]

6 years ago

The COVID-19 outbreak has hit some harder than others We are all at risk as the COVID-19 outbreak grows wider every day. The elderly among us and those with underlying respiratory health issues are at particular risk, as are those currently receiving treatment for illnesses. Jane is one such woman. She has stage four cancer […]

6 years ago

Streets that are usually bustling with tourists lay dormant The light and airy days of spring are usually incredibly fruitful for the shopkeepers, restaurateurs, cafe owners and artists of Paris, but the outbreak of COVID-19 has put pay to that, for now at least. We travelled to the French capital late last week, at which […]

6 years ago

Italy is currently seeing faster daily death toll jumps than any other country Out of all countries in Europe, none are experiencing the grim reality of the COVID-19 outbreak worse than Italy. The country is in lockdown and the population only permitted to leave their homes for essential trips to buy groceries or medicine. Usually […]

6 years ago

Is the government doing enough to fight the Coronavirus outbreak? Rory Stewart is an independent candidate to be Mayor of London. He says that the government, and incumbent mayor Sadiq Khan, are not taking the Coronavirus pandemic seriously enough. He’s calling for the closure of schools, cancellation of all public gatherings and extensive self-isolation. If […]

6 years ago

You can never have too much loo roll Brits are concerned about the spread of Coronavirus, and have started stockpiling their favourite goods. Across social media, we’ve seen video clips of people across the world fighting over usually mundane items like toilet roll and hand sanitiser. Equally frequent have been photographs of supermarket aisles with […]

6 years ago

“We’ve lost £15,000 a week.” The first cases of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, in the United Kingdom were confirmed on January 31, 2020. The virus first came to the attention of the World Health Organisation on New Year’s Eve 2019, before the WHO confirmed the new coronavirus causing respiratory illness among a cluster […]

6 years ago

The place gets some bad press Bradford was once voted the worst place to live in the UK. Now it has its own grime scene. Rapper Blazer Boccle showed us around the Holme Wood estate, just down the road from where he grew up. While London artists’ music videos might feature expensive cars and tower […]

6 years ago

What happens after Love Island? Of the 155 contestants to appear on reality TV show Love Island two have killed themselves and last week, the host Caroline Flack also died by suicide. Why does this show provoke such toxic and prolific trolling from the public? If someone seeks the attention of the media, can they […]

6 years ago

Few would expect a Formula One legend to call for less speed Jenson Button won the 2009 Formula One World Championship while driving for Brawn GP and though he has retired from F1, now races in Japanese Super GT Series, and retains a love for motorsport. With less than a month to go until the 2020 […]

6 years ago

“I could say I’ve also been to Amsterdam” Lisa Nandy is the MP for Wigan and a candidate in the Labour leadership contest which closes on April 2. In the contest she will face off against Rebecca Long-Bailey and Keir Starmer. She sat down with JOE to talk about winning, immigration and which drugs she’s […]

6 years ago

The Love Island presenter at the weekend at the age of 40 When television presenter Caroline Flack was found dead in her London apartment on Saturday, February 15 the news sent shockwaves through the British entertainment industry. Flack amassed hundreds of thousands of fans through her career, from her early acting days in Bo Selecta to the […]

6 years ago

“We feel European but we just can’t risk the uncertainty” For most British businesses, the idea of expansion immediately leads into ideas of Europe. As the United Kingdom’s closest trading partner, the European Union has for decades been a natural in the growth of domestic business. Lately, though, a little thing called Brexit – that […]

6 years ago

‘Come out ye Black and Tans!’ Steve Coogan is the UK’s most recognisable comedian, be it The Day Today and Alan Partridge or The Trip with Rob Brydon. Coogan’s latest role in GREED sees him play Sir Richard McCreadie, a billionaire rich off a fast fashion empire with obvious parallels to Sir Philip Green. He […]

6 years ago

Some of the UK’s most notorious terrorists have passed through Paddington Green police station

6 years ago

Welcome to Canvey Island 5,000 pieces of marine plastic pollution can be found on every mile of UK beach, and there will be more than 150 plastic bottles in that same space. You might find lighters, tampon applicators, toilet seats and fishing equipment – if you’re lucky. The ocean regulates our climate, it is the […]

6 years ago

In recent weeks, British media has misidentified prominent black figures on live broadcasts When the basketball legend Kobe Bryant died alongside his daughter and seven other people in a helicopter crash at the end of January, the BBC reported on it with a clip of Bryant playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Except it wasn’t […]

6 years ago

The UK is out of the EU, so what next? On Sunday, the United Kingdom left the European Union, becoming the first state to do so and leaving 27 member states behind. For years, Brexit has been all that most people have been able to talk about on this weird little island. It has dominated […]

6 years ago

Genocide is not a one-off event, it is a continual project that does not stop Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura survived the Bosnian Genocide. Many of her family members didn’t, though, and as a lecturer and writer she has since devoted her life to reminding people of the horrors of genocide and educating them on the subject. JOE […]

6 years ago

“I’ve been treated differently by my peers, because of the colour of my skin, and it feels like that in parliament” Nadia Whittome is the youngest MP in the UK. The ‘Baby of the House’ represents Nottingham East and is just 23 years old. She sat down with JOE to discuss a bittersweet election night, […]

6 years ago

Who is Rebecca Long-Bailey? Rebecca Long-Bailey is the favourite among Jeremy Corbyn supporters to become Labour’s new leader. But the public know very little about the Labour MP for Salford and Eccles and former pawn shop worker. The only way to learn more is to ask, so that’s exactly what JOE did when we met with […]

6 years ago

MPs’ lives are not universally glamorous Laura Smith served as the Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich from 2017 until 2019. Then Boris Johnson called an election, which was held on December 12 and Jones lost her seat to Kieran Mullan of the Conservative party. There is a common perception that MPs are almost universally independently wealthy, and […]

6 years ago

The eyes of the world are currently on Tehran After the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by an American drone strike in Iraq, already fraught tensions between the Islamic Republic and the United States went into overdrive. Millions of people lined the streets for Soleimani’s funeral, and Iran’s head of state, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed […]

6 years ago

Seats like Chesterfield will be crucial this election Chesterfield in North East Derbyshire. Since 1935 this constituency has been Labour red, until 2017, when it turned blue. Mining, like the Labour Party used to be in the blood of this community, but the pits are long since closed and there’s a new political movement in […]

6 years ago

Is the election driving hate in society? Both major parties in the UK have been accused of systemic racism during this election. The Labour party have been accused of anti-semitism which critics say has not been dealt with effectively or swiftly enough. Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters, meanwhile, point to the islamophobia of Boris Johnson and the […]

6 years ago

Each leader of Britain’s major parties has done it Can a leader be expected to fulfil their campaign promises if they can’t even bring themselves to be interviewed by a journalist? Do the two have any bearing on each other? This is a question a number of voters in the United Kingdom have begun to […]

6 years ago

Politics meets the chicken shop Rory Stewart is an independent candidate to be Mayor of London. He quit the Conservative party after losing its leadership contest, during which he made short videos, walking around the country, asking the public to meet him and question him. We went on one such walk with him around Brixton, […]

6 years ago

Does Jeremy Corbyn have a problem with the BBC? Last week, when the Labour party launched its manifesto, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg was booed by some activists who consider her the personification of the public service broadcaster’s supposed bias against the opposition party. Jeremy Corbyn was quick to dissuade his supporters – insisting that […]

6 years ago