The Briefing Room

This week children start to return to school in Scotland, with the rest of the UK due to reopen schools in September. For most students this is the first time they'll be setting foot inside a school since March - the longest interruption to schooling in living memory. But with the number of coronavirus cases back on the rise, how should we balance the risks of reopening schools, against the risks of keeping them shut? Contributors:Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London. Professor Jonas Ludviggson, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Karolinska Institutet, SwedenRussell Viner, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health and is a scientific adviser to the government as a member of SAGEProfessor Anna Vignoles, University of CambridgeInès Hassan, researcher at the Global Health Governance Programme at the University of EdinburghProducers: Kirsteen Knight, Beth Sagar-Fenton and Rosamund Jones Studio manager: Neva Missirian Editor: Hugh Levinson

Recent polls suggest a growing majority of people in Scotland now favour independence, so what’s behind the change since the 2014 referendum when 55% of voters chose to remain in the Union? How likely is another vote considering Boris Johnson has said it’s not going to happen and what issues are likely to dominate campaigning if it does?David Aaronovitch asks the experts:Allan Little reported widely on devolution and the questions around Scottish independence as a BBC special correspondent. Sir John Curtice is a Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University, and Chief Commentator on the What UK Thinks Jess Sargeant is a Senior Researcher at The Institute for Government where she focusses on devolution. Lynsey Bews, is a Political Correspondent for BBC Scotland Alistair Grant is a Political Correspondent for The Herald newspaper. Producers: Kirtseen Knight, Beth Sagar-Fenton and Joe Kent Studio manager: Neva Missirian Editor: Richard Vadon

The government says “tackling obesity is one of the greatest long-term health challenges this country faces” and has published a plan to help people in England lose weight. What’s in it, what’s not, and what more could be done?David Aaronovitch asks the experts:David Buck is a senior fellow at the health think tank The Kings Fund and used to work for The Department of Health Smitha Mundas is a doctor turned journalist and a health reporter for the BBC Susan Jebb is Professor of Diet and Population Health at the University of Oxford, and a member of the Public Health England Obesity Programme. Professor Corinna Hawkes is Director of the Centre for Food Policy at City University and Vice Chair of the London Child Obesity Task force. Producers: Ben Crighton, Kirsteen Knight and Joe Kent Studio Manager: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett.

How can the UK shape its foreign policy in response to threats posed by the likes of Russia and China? And how does that fit with the government’s vision of ‘Global Britain'?David Aaronovitch asks the experts: James Landale: BBC Diplomatic Correspondent Lord Ricketts: former diplomat, ambassador and national security advisor Dr Leslie Vinjamuri: director of the the US & Americas programme at Chatham House Christopher Hill: Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Cambridge University and author of 'The Future of British Foreign Policy: Security and Diplomacy in a World After Brexit' Dr Victoria Honeyman: politics lecturer and specialist in British foreign policy at the University of Leeds. Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Simon Coates and Joe Kent. Editor: Jasper Corbett.

The Chinese Communist Party is accused of locking up hundreds of thousands of Uighurs in internment camps. In the Uighurs' homeland in Xinjiang, the state operates a system of mass-surveillance and is accused of human rights abuses against the mainly Muslim minority including forced labour and compulsory birth control. China says the camps are not prisons but schools for ‘thought transformation’ and it continues to deny the abuse of human rights.David Aaronovitch asks leading experts what’s going on in Xinjiang and how is the rest of the world responding:Rian Thum, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham Dr Jo Smith Finley, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Newcastle University Josh Chin deputy China Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal Charles Parton Senior Associate Fellow at RUSIProducers: Kirtseen Knight, Beth Sagar Fenton, Joe Kent Studio manger: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett.

The pandemic will impact the way healthcare is delivered for years to come. At the same time as preparing for a possible second wave, the NHS also has to work its way through a backlog of delayed appointments and treatments. Waiting lists could top 10 million people this year.David Aaronvicth asks the experts what Covid-19 has done to healthcare in the UK and how can it recover:Journalist Chris Cook specialises in the public sector and is an editor and partner at Tortoise Media Rachel Schraer is a health reporter for BBC News Dr Jennifer Dixon is the chief executive of the Health Foundation Professor Carol Propper is a health economist at Imperial College London and President of The Royal Economics Society Nigel Edwards is chief executive of the Nuffield Trust an independent health think tank.Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Beth Sagar Fenton, Joe Kent Studio manager: Neva Missirian Editor: Jasper Corbett.

In Germany fences have gone up to keep people in their homes and stop the spread of Coronavirus, while some people in Melbourne are being threatened with fines or imprisonment for travelling to other states. Could that happen in the UK?The new lockdown in Leicester is likely to be the first of many, so how should local lockdowns work and when should they be introduced? David Aaronovitch asks the experts:Amy Orton – local democracy reporter at the Leicester Mercury/ Leicestershire Online Dr Nathalie MacDermott – Kings College London Damien McGuinness – the BBC’s Berlin correspondent Alex Thomas – Programme director, The Institute for Government Greg Fell - The Association of Directors of Public Health/ Sheffield City Council Director of Public Health Dr Jilly Gibson-Miller – health psychologist at the University of Sheffield Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Beth Sagar-Fenton, Joe Kent Editor: Jasper Corbett.

The Bank of England says unemployment could approach 10 per cent this year and as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is wound down, many economists are warning it could go even higher. With more than a quarter of the UK workforce already on furlough, what can be done to make sure they have jobs to go back to? David Aaronovitch examines the government’s options and hears who is most vulnerable. Contributors:Melanie Simms, Professor of Work and Employment at the University of GlasgowLaura Gardiner, Research Director at The Resolution FoundationAlan Manning, Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics Tony Wilson, Director of the Institute for Employment Studies Producers: Beth Sagar-Fenton, Kirsteen Knight and Joe Kent. Editor: Jasper Corbett.

How have China's relations with other countries changed since the arrival of the virus? The US and China have been facing each other off for years, but increasingly other nations are questioning the benefits that China's growing dominance has brought. David Aaronovitch explores how that is being viewed within China itself. Has trust in the communist regime declined or are nationalistic attitudes strengthening? And what changes might this bring to global power dynamics in the future? Contributors: Professor Niall Ferguson of Stanford University, Rafaello Pantucci from RUSI, Yu Jie from Chatham House, economist and author Dr Linda Yueh and Professor Steve Tsang from SOAS. Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Sally Abrahams and Rosamund Jones. Editor: Jasper Corbett.

What damage are the pandemic and lockdown doing to the economy and what could happen next? David Aaronovitch explores the economic impact of physical distancing on business, whether our fast expanding national debt is sustainable and the threat posed by declining consumer confidence on our economic recovery. Does history offer a guide as to how and when people should return to work and government support be turned off? And what will our economy look like when the lockdown is eased? Contributors:Faisal Islam, BBC Economics EditorKate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitalityJeffrey Frankel, Professor of Capital Formation and Growth at Harvard UniversityProfessor Jagjit Chadha, Director of The National Institute of Economic and Social Research Stephanie Flanders, senior executive editor at Bloomberg and head of Bloomberg EconomicsProducers: Luke Radcliff, Sally Abrahams and Rosamund Jones. Editor: Jasper Corbett