The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on British Politics

Politics and Economics

Photograph: John Lau

Almost two years of political u-turns, scandals and lockdowns, Covid-19 has undoubtedly changed UK politics. Whether it be a socially distanced parliament, or an online PMQs, the relationships and daily occurrences within our executive and legislative bodies became abnormal on a scale unseen to this country since 1945. The three key impacts I believe the pandemic has had on UK politics are the speed at which the government make decisions and implement policy, the growth in willingness to increase government spending, and the ever-changing relationship between the government and the public. Tory sleaze and a lack of vision being phrases we hear weekly, the crucial role the media have played throughout this pandemic is an important factor worth noting.

Not only has the speed of government decisions increased, but the government’s ability to sense a need for enforcement in key departments has improved considerably. For example, the furlough scheme was developed by the Treasury after only a few weeks of seriousness about Covid and became operational within a month of its announcement. From March to December 2020, newly designed digital systems to administer support packages released by the government managed payments worth more than £69.4 billion. The delivery of these systems has shown the civil service at its best. From being able to manage crises, to dealing quickly with changing priorities, it has rapidly recruited employees in essential departments; the Department of Health and Social Care grew by almost 25% in the first nine months of 2020.

From free school meals to exam results, the government has made more U-turns than the Prime Minister has children, an impressive stat to say the least. Whilst the pressure on the legislature and executive to act as decision-making bodies has heightened over the pandemic, there is certainly no evidence to suggest that deciding what you’re going to do quicker leads to a better outcome, and this is without mentioning the government’s ‘follow the science’ motto. Ministers have been prepared to spend far more, and there has been a clear shift to Keynesian spending habits. Although one could argue the government had no choice but to spend, the scale of the expenses far exceeded everyone’s expectations. As the government spends more, the direct communication with the public shows the brutal effect of the pandemic. Whether you are a nailed-on Labour voter in London, or a hard-core Tory in the west country, this conservative government became the leaders of every single person in the UK, regardless of how you voted. Ministers’ actions have been blatantly exposed to the public, and the times where no one knew who cabinet ministers were, are long gone. Scandal after scandal, the growing scepticism surrounding politicians has not decreased over the course of the pandemic.

The government must draw the right lessons from this pandemic. Covid-19 has not gone away, and while the vaccination rollout offers a huge boost to the UK, the risk of rising infection rates and new variants still loom. The government’s attempts to stop Covid deaths cannot be considered a success, yet our vaccine rollout gives the country something to be proud of.