Day: January 12, 2021

On Monday 4 January 2021, children were starting their first week back at school after the Christmas break. By that evening, the government announced the closure of schools in England, as well as a country-wide lockdown, and the situation in Wales and Scotland looked similar.

For most, this was a complete surprise, after prime minister Boris Johnson’s insistence that schools were safe enough to stay open. For many, it also highlights the scale of the UK’s digital divide.

Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and shadow digital minister, said: “The government’s last-minute U-turn on the