Archive of Phil Jones

Robots have been hailed as the "unsung heroes" of the Covid-19 pandemic, allowing potentially risky work to be carried out remotely. But the reality of robotics is more complicated than its boosters make out; it has allowed work to be offshored, often at vastly reduced pay and poor conditions. Here, Phil Jones looks at the new world of remote working.

The proposals currently being tabled for how to deal with the coronavirus outbreak across Britain involve would each involve a fundamental transformation in the British economy and state. How strange it would be to see one of the most brazenly privileged, right-wing prime-ministers of modern times preside over a programme as transformative as that of the post-war Labour government. But, as Phil Jones argues, we cannot trust the Tories to push through the necessary, radical steps – instead we need a government of national unity.