| Dear Reader,
The success of Britain’s vaccination programme, with 10 million people now inoculated, has revived the debate over when and how the UK should lift its lockdown restrictions. As Camilla Tominey writes, a significant number of Tory MPs fear that the parameters for easing the rules are shifting in ways that would make a return to normality more difficult.
It has not been a good few weeks for the European Union, with its vaccine procurement failing and Brussels having to rapidly backtrack after attempting to erect a vaccine border in Ireland. Is this just a blip or revealing of something else? In his latest column, Allister Heath argues that the EU has descended into Trumpian behaviour and that its approach to the pandemic reveals it to be “a power-hungry, unethical bully”.
When the series with India begins on Friday, Joe Root will become only the 14th man to rack up 100 Test caps for England. It will also be his 47th as captain of the side, and he continues to rise up the ranks of most Test runs for this country, now sitting at fourth. Ahead of his landmark achievement, Root spoke to Michael Vaughan in a fascinating interview about his far-from-straightforward rise to the top and the long struggle to stay there. (For more news and analysis, sign up for Tim Wigmore's excellent, free, weekly Cricket Nerd newsletter here.)
Finally, the country received the news of Captain Sir Tom Moore’s death from Covid-19 with great sadness this week, but it couldn’t overcome the great admiration in which he was held. Our obituaries team have written this wonderful account of his life, and how he managed to lift a nation.
Chris
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