THEY say a week is a long time in politics, but for the government this 'bad news' week must have felt like a year.

Among the lowlights were that small revelation the UK economy suffered its biggest slump on record between April and June, which meant we are back in recession for the first time since 2009.

This was coupled with the UK already having suffered the highest rate of excess deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is what happens when you lockdown too late: you pay the price and it goes on longer than it has to.

There is no hindsight about this, it was obvious at the time, and I was writing it in Fair Point columns in early March.

So here we are in August, cases on the increase around Europe, possible signs of a second wave.

Preparations have to be made now, we have to be ready this time, just in case.

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Meanwhile, by the time Thursday arrived and after what had been happening in Scotland, it became obvious A level results were going to be another scandal.

Let's call 'downgrading results' what it really is: playing with a generation of students futures.

Story after story of teenagers forecast good grades missing out on university places because of a nonsense algorithm.

And yet again pupils from poorer backgrounds were worst hit. What happened to 'levelling up'?

The government should do the right thing on results, a U-turn, and allow teacher assessed marks to be accepted.

And the Education Secretary should consider his position.