The Briefing Room

Have the mounting deaths exposed cracks in the way we deliver care to some of our most vulnerable people? David Aaronovitch looks at how the system is structured and funded. and why it sometimes struggles to gain the political attention it needs. This is a sector in which people have called for reform has for decades but very little has been delivered. How have other countries care systems coped during the pandemic and what lessons could we learn? Contributors: Alison Holt, BBC Social Affairs CorrespondentWilliam Laing, Chairman of Laing Buisson Jill Manthorpe, Professor of Social Work at King's College London Adelina Comas-Herrera, researcher at the London School of EconomicsNatasha Curry, Acting Deputy Director of Policy, Nuffield TrustProducers: Luke Radcliff, Sally Abrahams and Rosamund Jones Editor: Jasper Corbett

Some countries have opened schools, hairdressers and small non-food shops. David Aaronovitch asks what has guided those tentative first steps and whether the lockdown can be eased safely. What have we learnt about the behaviour and epidemiology of the virus and how might that inform decisions in the UK? He also quizzes experts about how long it could take to end the lockdown fully, and whether some form of social distancing could be in place for many months to come. Contributors: Dr Nathalie MacDermott, Imperial College LondonDr Michael Tildesley, Warwick UniversityProf Hans Joern Kolmos, University of Southern DenmarkProf Martin McKee, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineNgaire Woods, Blavatnik School of Government and Professor of Global Economic Governance at Oxford UniversityProducers: Kirsteen Knight, Darin Graham and Rosamund Jones Editor: Jasper Corbett

What do we know about how we are coping with the pandemic crisis? David Aaronovitch looks at the impact the three month lockdown has had on people in China and asks how different groups in the UK - just three weeks in - are faring. What are the particular difficulties faced by the most vulnerable and those who have been advised to self isolate, maybe for many months, during the pandemic? He asks what strategies can be put in place to reduce mental hardship now and in the coming weeks. And when normality resumes, how changed might we be? Contributors: Dr George Hu, Shanghai United Family Pudong HospitalHelen Westerman, ChildlineProf Bobby Duffy, King's College LondonProf Stephen Reicher, University of St AndrewsProf Neil Greenberg, King's College London.Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Darin Graham and Rosamund Jones. Editor: Jasper Corbett.

What effect is the lockdown having across the country and population? David Aaronovitch examines which jobs have been lost, whose health is more at risk and whose education is most likely to suffer. Is the lockdown likely to increase inequality? And if it does, how might a government reverse that trend once normal life is resumed? Contributors: Professor Angus Deaton from Princeton University, Professor Simon Burgess from Bristol University, Xiaowei Xu from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Paul Swinney from the Centre for Cities and Miatta Fahnbulleh from the New Economics Foundation. Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Darin Graham and Rosamund Jones. Editor: Jasper Corbett

Why have some countries run mass-testing operations when others, including the UK, have not? David Aaronovitch examines how South Korea and Germany have approached the coronavirus pandemic and what they have learned from the data they've gathered. He also looks at how the hunt for a vaccine is progressing and who is in the race, as well as the role existing anti-viral drugs might play in reducing the threat posed by Covid-19. Contributors:Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health, University of EdinburghDr Jerome Kim, Director General of the International Vaccine InstituteDr Philipp Zanger, Head of the Institute of Hygiene, Infection Control and Prevention at the Rhineland-Palatinate Agency for Consumer and Public ProtectionProfessor Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner InstituteProfessor Johan Neyts, virologist, University of Leuven, Belgium. Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Darin Graham & Rosamund Jones Editor: Jasper Corbett

The UK fishing industry will be central to EU trade negotiations, starting soon. David Aaronovitch explores why a sector, which contributes very little to the overall economy, has gained such political and cultural importance. He asks why there is such a mismatch between the kind of fish we catch and the kind of fish we eat. When did cod become so central to our diets? With his guests, he also traces the industry's relationship with the EU down the decades. To what extent did the imposition of EU quotas reduce the amount of fish UK boats catch? And should fishing now expect a 'Brexit bounce'? Contributors: Hazel Curtis, director of Seafish Nick Fisher, fisherman and authorJohn Lichfield, journalistDr Jill Wakefield, University of Warwick. Dr Bryce Stewart, University of York Producers: Kirsteen Knight, Jordan Dunbar and Rosamund Jones. Editor: Penny Murphy.

Sinn Féin's historic result in the Irish election has the potential to change the face of Irish politics - dominated for the past hundred years by the two main parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. So what lies behind the rise of Sinn Féin? And to what extent has it put its past association with violent republicanism behind it? David Aaronovitch is joined by guests including: Naomi O'Leary correspondent at Politico Europe Brian Feeney, historian and author Professor Roy Foster, professor of history at Oxford University. Dr Margaret O'Callaghan, political analyst at Queens University, Belfast Dr Theresa Reidy, political scientist at University College CorkProducer: Jordan Dunbar Editor: Jasper Corbett -

In recent months convicted terrorists just released from prison have launched knife attacks which have maimed and killed - the latest one on Streatham High Street in South London. Both attackers were shot dead by police officers. David Aaronovitch asks why events like these are happening, and whether we are releasing convicted terrorists too early. The government is promising swift action, but will the proposed changes make us safer? He asks what we know about the success of de-radicalisation programmes in our prisons and whether there are lessons we should be learning from other countries. Contributors: Nazir Afzal, former Chief ProsecutorAndrew Silke, Professor of Terrorism, Risk and Resilience at the Cranfield Forensic InstituteLord David Anderson QC, former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in the United KingdomDominic Casciani, BBC Home Affairs CorrespondentProducers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight, Jordan Dunbar and Tom Wright Editor: Jasper Corbett

For the first time in decades the UK will now negotiate its own trade deals. David Aaronovitch explores our options and likely outcomes.Free trade deals can take years and require hundreds of highly skilled staff in what are described as the biggest games of poker you can play.Former US trade negotiators reveal a world of bluffs, plays and tapped phone calls.How should the UK should play its hand with the US, EU and rest of the world as we exit the European Union?There are losers in every trade deal, how prepared is the UK to cope with that?Contributors: Soumaya Keynes, trade and globalisation editor, The EconomistCharles Grant, Centre for European Reform Ron Sorini, Sorini, Samet and AssociatesWendy Cutler, Asia Society Policy Institute Roderick Abbot, former senior trade official with the European Commission and trade negotiatorProduced by Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight and Jordan Dunbar Editor: Jasper Corbett

What lessons do previous pandemics provide about how we should treat the new coronavirus? David Aaronovitch tracks the disease's origins in China, explores its spread. He considers how dangerous this virus is and asks how prepared we are for an outbreak in the UK. Contributors:Howard Zhang, editor of the BBC’s China serviceDr Nathalie McDermott, Imperial College, LondonJohn Oxford, Professor of Virology, Queen Mary’s College, LondonDr Josie Golding, Epidemic Preparedness and Response Programme at The Wellcome Trust.Producers: Rosamund Jones, Kirsteen Knight and Jordan Dunbar Editor: Jasper Corbett