Back in 2009, Britain was a different country. True, we were facing the problems of the financial crisis. But in the words of the then opposition leader David Cameron at his party conference, “we are all in this together". He promised that “if we pull together, come together, work together – we will get through this together". Mr Cameron claimed Britain’s economy, politics and society were “broken”.
A year later, he became prime minister. Despite being a decent and likeable fellow, he led the UK into a series of unforced errors – grave mistakes that have come to mean that in many ways, we are worse off than we were. We have not "come together". Quite the opposite.
Read More from Gavin Esler
Competing nationalisms in Scotland and England mean that the future for the UK will be very tricky to navigate. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a mandate to take England out of the EU – but no mandate to do the same for Scotland. She wants another vote on Scottish independence.
Then there is Westminster politics. The new Labour leader Keir Starmer is off to a good start after the years of division within the opposition party under his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn. But you might expect when faced with the common threat of coronavirus, while everyone wants Mr Johnson's government to keep people safe, help the sick and stop the deaths, the "coming together" is again coming apart.
Coronavirus is not an equal-opportunity killer.
After 10 years of Conservative-led governments under Mr Cameron, Theresa May and now Mr Johnson, people with coronavirus in the country's poorest areas are dying at twice the rate of people in the richest areas. People of colour, most notably among our extraordinarily brave health workers, are dying at a much greater rate than white people in the same jobs.
BAME health workers who sacrificed their lives
The Office for National Statistics, or ONS – Britain's most trusted source of facts and figures – reckons there are about 55.1 deaths per 100,000 citizens in the most deprived tenth of England, whereas the figures in the least deprived tenth are 25.3 deaths in 100,000.
Those from BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) backgrounds are significantly over-represented in the mortality figures. Newham – a less well-off area of London with a large BAME population – has reported 144.3 deaths per 100,000. The cities of Liverpool, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Middlesbrough also have a high death rate with the virus. Of course, people in these cities are living more closely together.
While similar Scottish and Welsh figures are not yet available, it is certainly true that living in the relatively under-populated Scottish highlands or North Wales makes it much less easy for the virus to spread. The ONS data is age-standardised, so age differences are taken into account.
There is nothing new in the idea that poorer people might not live as long as richer people. Some of the areas with a high death rate are very deprived. Poor nutrition, obesity, heart disease, smoking and other factors are undeniably involved. But it is also undeniable that the National Health Service has been under-resourced for years.
In a recent column, I wrote of a report by Professor Michael Marmot – one of Britain's leading experts on health inequalities – who said that over the past decade life expectancy in England has stalled for the first time in 100 years, and among English women living in the poorest communities life expectancy has declined since 2011.
Professor Marmot called it “shocking” that England had “lost a decade” in health care, which – you may think – coincidentally is the decade of Conservative-led governments. The rich-poor life expectancy gap in Britain is a difference of 9.5 years for men and 7.7 years for women.
For the immediate future, Britain needs to bring the death rate down and move towards reinvigorating the economy.
Some in government, overburdened by the many pressures they face, seem to be disturbed by the idea that their efforts are being criticised. They are wrong. An honest debate is essential right now.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all made it clear that they are not following entirely in lockstep behind Mr Johnson’s government, which many commentators and medical experts say was complacent, under-prepared and slow to understand the nature of the coronavirus threat.
For the medium term, we need to get back to something we might call “normal” – although what that will be, no one can say. And for the longer term, we as a nation need to take a long hard look in the mirror.
The rhetoric of being “all in this together” has been a convenient piece of political nonsense. Some of us are more “in it” than others. Death is a great leveller. Maybe our opportunities should be more level too. Rich, poor, white, people of colour, are all equally irreplaceable.
What we need is a new social contract involving governments, businesses and people to recognise in reality – and not just in glib political phrases – that we are all truly in this together.
Gavin Esler is a journalist, author and presenter
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
MATCH INFO
Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Monchengladbach 1
Bayern: Zirkzee (26'), Goretzka (86')
Gladbach: Pavard (37' og)
Man of the Match: Breel Embolo (Borussia Monchengladbach)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
