This week kicked off with more coronavirus chaos that left Downing Street under fire after a glitch in Britain’s tracking system saw the daily number of new cases appear to double overnight.
Boris Johnson and his ministers blamed “computer issues” for delays in reporting more than 15,000 cases recorded over the previous week, which was caused by data on people who tested positive exceeding the maximum size of files used in the system.
The Conservatives had more luck getting to grips with technology at their first virtual party conference, which wrapped up on Tuesday following a round of remote speeches from cabinet ministers, as well as a promise from Johnson to create a “post-war new Jerusalem” after the pandemic.
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Over on the opposition benches, Keir Starmer’s battle with the Labour left continued, as the Unite union, the party’s biggest donor, announced it was cutting its funding by 10% amid frustrations with a perceived shift in the party’s direction.
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In the US, Donald Trump returned to the White House after three days in hospital for treatment for Covid-19, despite health experts warning that he was still potentially infectious. The second presidential debate is now in doubt, after Trump said he would not take part in a virtual head-to-head.
If his scheduled stand-off with Joe Biden is cancelled, voters will be left with extra time to mull over the vice-presidential debate, which saw Democratic nominee Kamala Harris lock horns with Mike Pence on issues including the administration’s coronavirus response, racism, health care and climate change.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that face masks may not protect against Covid-19 in wet or damp weather - a verdict that is unlikely to bother the mask-eschewing US president.
