By Chris Evans,
EDITOR

Dear Reader,

Boris Johnson’s healthcare tax rise has split the Conservatives, with the Prime Minister facing a grassroots backlash. The dismay among Tories at all levels was further inflamed by the revelation that the NHS is recruiting a legion of 42 new bureaucrats on salaries of up to £270,000, while millions of Britons are set to lose out (check how you will fare with our handy tax calculator).

The National Insurance hike breaks a manifesto promise, but does it also symbolise the party’s repudiation of its classical liberal world view? Allister Heath argues in his column that it guarantees the total victory of socialism in Britain.

(Stay up to date on the inside stories from the corridors of Westminster with our new Chopper’s Politics newsletter, written by our chief political correspondent, Christopher Hope. Sign up for free here.)

For Danes, Covid is officially over. Denmark was the first country in northern Europe to enter lockdown last year and is now leading the way in lifting all of its remaining restrictions tomorrow. Richard Orange, our correspondent in Copenhagen, explains what the country can teach the rest of the world about how to rebuild normality and live with coronavirus.

What makes a great Bond film? For some, it is the villains and locations; for others, the gadgets and cars. Ahead of the release of No Time To Die later this month, our experts have revisited all the movies to create the ultimate James Bond ranking.

Finally, it is an enduring – and often heated – debate that plays out in many households and workplaces: how do you make the perfect cup of tea? Scientists claim to have settled the matter once and for all. Read their golden rules for the best-ever brew.

Chris

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