2020: The year in review

Subscribe to Independent Premium [Independent Premium]( [Subscribe]( 2020: The year in review Dear {NAME}, It has truly been a year like no other, with the pandemic dominating not just every news cycle but each of our lives. From work to family life, where we went, and what we did, nothing was untouched by Covid-19. But as we got to grips with phrases like “self-isolate” and “social distancing”, there was plenty of other news happening too. At The Independent we’ve done our best to keep you informed throughout, with news you can trust as well as insightful analysis and features. Take a look at the best of Independent Premium from 2020 below... Michael Owens Premium Editor [Alternate text]( Coronavirus It began barely a year ago – a new virus originating at a wet market in Wuhan, China. Wei Guixian, a 57-year-old shrimp seller, is thought to have been the first person infected. “Every winter I always suffer from the flu,” she later told Chinese media. “So I thought it was the flu.” We now know it wasn’t. Covid-19, as it has since been named, first took hold in the Chinese city then swept the globe. In Wuhan, some citizens have decided to sue the government for what they believe was [suppression of the news in the early days of the virus](. By January, the first case was in the UK and by March we were in lockdown, focused on keeping two metres from everyone and [washing our hands properly](. As cases mounted across the world, there were unexpected issues, like [those who wanted to believe that Covid-19 was in fact a hoax](. As well as the terrible human cost, with tens of thousands dead in Britain and more than 100,000 still suffering with long-term effects, the pandemic has delivered the largest economic shock to the UK in three centuries – [and it isn’t over yet](. But with a vaccine [now being given to the most vulnerable](, even with Christmas plans derailed by another surge, there is still hope for 2021. Our Coronavirus article pick: [The dirty truth about handwashing]( [Alternate text]( Brexit When Boris Johnson won last December’s election, he did so on a series of slogans. First up was to “Get Brexit Done”, which he did, taking Britain out of the European Union on 31 January. After that, it gets a bit more tricky. He pledged to “level up” the country, and, after coronavirus hit, [suggested a “Rooseveltian approach”](, invoking FDR’s New Deal, though there’s little sign much has changed yet in the “red wall” seats the Tories took from Labour. However, the most pertinent of his soundbites now appears to be the promise that he had an “oven-ready deal” with the EU over Brexit. With time running out, [there’s still no trade deal in sight](. In the pantheon of prime ministers, Johnson’s currently [far from the top of the pile]( after a [whirlwind 12 months](. But falling at the final hurdle with Brexit could make things far worse for both the prime minister’s legacy and, more importantly, the country. Our Brexit article pick: [From a landslide to a pandemic: Boris Johnson’s premiership one year on from his victory at the polls]( [Alternate text]( US politics Even by the standards of Donald Trump’s presidency, 2020 has provided some eye-opening moments. Questionable presidential pardons were perhaps to be expected, as were outrageous election claims. Suggestions of injecting bleach into the body to stop coronavirus, on the other hand, were not something anyone expected of a president. As 2020 progressed, the protests in the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths took hold across the US, and with them questions over [the response from heavy-handed police](. Along with coronavirus, it became the big issue of American politics, neither of which Trump had any real solution too, other than to stoke flames. By summer, the Republicans were already [preparing for life after Trump](. Stuck in campaign mode, the president pressed on, maskless, with rally after rally, and [even planned to go ahead with a Republican convention as normal](. Now, with Joe Biden set to come into power in a few weeks, the question is how much havoc Trump can [wreak before leaving the Oval Office]( – and [what he does next](. Our US politics article pick: [Covid and government spending: How a lame-duck Trump could blow up Washington on his way out the door]( [Alternate text]( Climate crisis The year began with bushfires blazing across Australia, killing 500 million animals and more than a dozen people, with acres upon acres left scorched in their wake. But it could end on a hopeful note, as the UK looks ahead to hosting the Cop26 climate summit in November. Joe Biden’s election, and his pledge to sign the US up to the Paris Agreement again, will surely help – with climate an issue that [could bring him together with British leaders](. In the UK, the government’s independent climate advisers have put together recommendations for how the country can limit its carbon emissions to keep temperatures down, and [it’ll take more than sending fewer emails](. Instead, they say that by 2050 almost every element of our lives will have to change, [from the cars we drive to what we eat](, if we’re to reach net-zero emissions. But [can it really be done while building a third runway at Heathrow airport](? Our climate crisis article pick: [How our lives will need to change to hit net-zero emissions by 2050]( [Alternate text]( Why subscribe? The Independent employs more than 100 journalists around the world to bring you news you can trust. You can support our truly independent journalism by taking a [subscription to Independent Premium](. 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