Home / Insight / Political Agenda: COVID-19 continues to dominate

Political Agenda: COVID-19 continues to dominate

03/04/2020

After a series of weeks that were most easily characterised by escalating social measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the second week of lockdown has been quieter than usual in the political world.

Although this is unlikely to continue, with the surge rate of the virus (and corresponding pressure on the NHS) expected to go up considerably in the coming weeks, it’s increasingly seeming like the only political developments in any given 24 hours take place at 5pm at the Government's daily press briefing. That is when the daily Government press conference takes place (delivered by a range of Cabinet Ministers after the Prime Minister himself had to self-isolate), outlining the latest measures, approaches, and, sadly, statistics.

There has been severe pressure on the Government this week, with the issue of testing (where the UK lags behind many of its European neighbours), the provision of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for NHS staff and concerns over businesses’ ability to access financial support all centre stage.

The insurance industry has also seen itself take the brunt of criticism, particularly around the provision of payouts for business interruption. A number of MPs have been doing the media rounds calling on the industry to be more flexible in its approach or risk reputational damage, and the Chair of the Treasury Select Committee has written to industry representatives requesting a vast amount of information on everything from policy wording to their new business history.

Elsewhere, questions have started to be asked about to how the proper function of Government and Parliament can be maintained in these extraordinary circumstances. Already this week, we’ve seen the first ever Cabinet meeting to take place without a single member of Cabinet in the same room (and were treated to screenshots of Cabinet Ministers’ homes), and ahead of Parliament’s return on 21st April, a number of select committees have used this time to road test virtual and remote technology. This news suggests that, regardless of whether Parliament physically returns after the Easter recess, some level of scrutiny and engagement will still be possible on a day-to-day basis.

It remains to be seen whether Parliament will look to open again on 21st April, as a symbol of the need to fulfil the function of democracy even in the most difficult times, or will choose to lead by example and stay closed, adopting remote solutions instead.

As the Government starts to look for an (eventual) exit strategy from social distancing, there should be some more clarity in the coming weeks on what this means Parliament. However, for now, the political pause on anything apart from COVID-19 is set to continue.

 

 

Samantha Ramen
Author

Samantha Ramen
Partner
Director of Market Affairs

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