It’s been another rocky fortnight in the world of politics. The tragic death of George Floyd sent shockwaves around the globe and has sparked a number of protests in the UK, with activists speaking out against systemic racism and the racial injustices within the police system. At the same time, the government is still battling against the covid-19 pandemic and the widespread impact lockdown has had. Figures published last week by the ONS reveal that GDP growth significantly tumbled in April, doing little to quell concerns raised about the impact recent restrictions have had on the state of our economy.
Although lockdown measures continue to ease, the pace is slow and prime minister Boris Johnson is coming under fire for his lack of strength and decisiveness throughout this period. Johnson expected to lead the UK through Brexit, but instead, he has found himself presiding uncomfortably over a public health crisis, an economic collapse and growing social tensions. Clearly, this is not the job he expected six months ago, but with his approval rating continuing to plummet and faced with a tougher, more forensic opposition, he needs to work hard to restore confidence in his party and the general public.
Black Lives Matter protests
The past fortnight has been focused on the passionate Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests that have taken place over many cities in the UK. The felling of the statue of Bristol slave-trader Edward Colston by protestors was perhaps the most dramatic moment of the demonstrations but left Westminster divided on the topic. Some, such as home secretary Priti Patel, called the act “utterly disgraceful” while others such as Diane Abbott, said: “the real disgrace and the horror which echoes down the centuries is the slave trade itself”. Although the protests over the past two weekends have been largely peaceful, a small group of police officers were injured, which also generated debate across Westminster.
During PMQs last Wednesday, Johnson faced several pointed questions from MPs on various themes relating to the BLM movement. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer demanded that the UK government “turbo charge” its responses and implement without delay the Lammy and Fenton reports. These reports look at how black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities are affected by the criminal justice system and what factors are driving a disproportionate number of deaths from COVID-19. Acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, also highlighted that black people were 47 times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police in England and asked if Johnson would abolish stop and search on the grounds of police suspicion. Unsurprisingly, Johnson’s response to both questions was hardly noteworthy, as he protested that the government was “getting on with implementing” the recommendations in the reports and does not favour the removal of stop and search powers.
Priti Patel was also accused in the House of Commons by a group of Labour MPs of being out of touch with BLM protestors’ concerns after challenging the use of violence in the demonstrations. Patel spoke of her experience at the hands of racists, highlighting that she had frequently been racially abused in the street and had been told to drop her surname and take her husband’s in order to advance her career. More than 30 Labour MPs from BAME backgrounds have since signed a letter accusing Patel of trying to silence debate by “using” her own experience of racism, arguing that she has “used her heritage and experiences of racism to gaslight the very real racism faced by black people and communities across the UK”.
This came ahead of another weekend of further protests where police were braced for potential violence as far right groups attended counter demonstrations to the BLM protests. Anti-racism campaigners headed to London for more protests, while right-wing groups marched up to the city to ‘defend’ the UK’s memorials after BLM activists published a list of 60 racist statues they want removed for celebrating slavery.
Lockdown tensions
Pressure on the government continued to mount last week following a series of significant setbacks related to its handling of the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, official statistics from the Office for National Statistics showed GDP growth fell by 20.4 per cent in April, following a 5.8 per cent fall in March. The monthly decline in GDP in April, when the country was in full lockdown, is three times greater than the fall experienced during the 2008 to 2009 economic downturn and was worse than economists had forecast. These figures highlight the huge task the UK economy faces and will fuel fears the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development was correct about Britain ending up as one of the worst hit among leading nations. It will also provide ammunition for those who are calling for the two-meter risk-based assessment to be reduced, to allow for more businesses to open and schools to resume. Former Conservative party leader, Iain Duncan Smith said that “the number one and single most important priority to unlock the economy is getting the distance down to one meter”.
This message is particularly pertinent in light of the defeat education secretary Gavin Williamson was forced to admit last week over plans for primary schools to fully re-open before the summer holidays. Initially, the government had planned to send all children of primary school age back into the classroom before the start of the summer break. However strong opposition by teaching unions thwarted the government’s plans. Conservative MPs have voiced their disappointment over the u-turn with one former minister stating that “we could be in the ludicrous situation next month of having 18-year olds in the pub and not at school”. Although Johnson has pledged a mass “catch-up plan” for children missing out because of coronavirus, it seems difficult at this stage to see how this will be effectively implemented, with only six weeks left until the start of the summer holidays.
Moving away from education, the government’s flagship NHS test and trace scheme has also suffered early teething problems, failing to reach one in three people with positive COVID-19 infections in its first week. Baroness Dido Harding – the head of the test and trace scheme – admitted it wasn’t yet “at the gold standard” but officials have said they are happy with its performance so far. Heath secretary Matt Hancock has also repeated his plea for people to use the system, arguing that it was the “civic duty” of people to take part if they were contacted.
Don’t forget about Brexit
With everything else going on at the moment, you would be forgiven for temporarily forgetting about Brexit. However, according to the Financial Times, the government is set to make a dramatic Brexit u-turn, with reports suggesting that ministers have abandoned plans for full border checks on goods coming into Britain after the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December. The UK and EU also confirmed that a virtual summit will take place today with EU leaders and Johnson set to discuss the state of Brexit negotiations. Up until now, talks have been virtually deadlocked and a decision must be made by 1 July on whether the transition period should be extended. Johnson and his government have repeatedly insisted they do not want to extend the transition and talks will take place every week through summer in the hope of breaking the deadlock.
Across the pond, the US has committed to having a “shared ambition” with the UK to sign a free-trade agreement before the presidential election on 3 November. According to Antony Phillipson, the British trade commissioner for North America, “we are running very, very fast in pull partnership with our US colleagues”.
What’s next?
As we look ahead to this week, we expect Black Lives Matter to continue to lead public debate and dominate the headlines. However, the government still has a long way to go in overcoming the many challenges that COVID-19 presents – including how we recover from the economic consequences and ensure education provision is prioritised. With Brexit talks set to resume today, Johnson certainly has his plate full.