The shocking murder of Conservative MP David Amess on Friday has exposed just how vulnerable politicians are when they are out serving the public. In fact, threats of violence against politicians are very far from rare. As part of his ongoing research on the psychological pressures of political life, James Weinberg has come across far too many examples of people thinking it is legitimate to intimidate public servants. He’s been trying to understand why – and how we can fix the problem. Meanwhile, Alasdair Booth has been taking a closer look at constituency security.

An unexpected positive of the pandemic was that flu pretty much disappeared, thanks to social distancing. But now things are reopening, this could be a problem. Less exposure over the past 18 months has resulted in less immunity building up, meaning cases could be common and severe this winter – creating a dual threat as COVID continues to spread.

And as Britain continues to grapple with a shortage of HGV drivers, we take a detailed look at what it’s really like to work behind the wheel.

Laura Hood

Politics Editor, Assistant Editor

EPA/Andy Rain

David Amess killing: threats of violence and harassment have become commonplace for politicians

James Weinberg, University of Sheffield

Politics has become a low-trust, high-blame environment that has left public servants under near constant threat of attack.

Alamy/PA

Sir David Amess, Jo Cox and the knotty problem of local constituency security

Alasdair Booth, Loughborough University

Westminster is now enmeshed in tight and very visible security apparatus. But protecting MPs at local meetings is a different problem.

Subbotina Anna/Shutterstock

COVID and flu: how big could the dual threat be this winter?

Paul Hunter, University of East Anglia

Social distancing has shielded us from other respiratory viruses – but that’s not necessarily a good thing.

Shutterstock/Jarek Kilian

Low pay, long hours, high pressure: what it’s really like to be an HGV driver

Akilah Jardine, University of Nottingham

What drivers told us about life on the road.

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