Boris is tripping up over his flip-flops, says ANN WIDDECOMBE
BORIS Johnson changes his mind more often than his fiancée Carrie Symonds changes their baby's nappies.
Dominic Cummings 'acted reasonably and legally' says PM
First there was no need to quarantine people coming to Britain by air. Now suddenly, weeks later, there is. Then he announced a wise policy of suspending the migrants' NHS charge and automatically renewing visas for a year for all frontline workers. Already, before the current health emergency, the Government was committed to looking at the case for a special NHS visa.
What he wouldn't do was simply scrap the surcharge in perpetuity without any further review. At least that was what he wouldn't do at midday on Wednesday but by Thursday he had changed his mind.
And so it goes on. Flip-flop, fudge and flail. This Government has a big enough majority for the prime minister to lead decisively. Instead he blows about in the winds of public opinion and media pressure, facing first this way and then that, his pronouncements as chaotic as his hair.
The daily press briefings are becoming superfluous, the graphs predictable and the message reduced to an ad man's jingle. If I am told one more time that we are currently on alert level four but that because we have all been such good children and so frightfully well-behaved, we will soon move to level three, I shall hurl my television set across Dartmoor. Save it until we have moved to level three, minister.
Meanwhile, the Government has so thoroughly succeeded in scaring people that many are too afraid to go to work or send their children to school. No wonder. Standing in front of the flag and intoning a daily death rate, ministers have created panic among the impressionable.
Suppose they did that for winter flu? I do not expect government to puff wonders and breathe miracles.
This is a new pandemic and some mistakes were and still are inevitable, but I do expect firm leadership.
The PM is at the time of writing standing by Dominic Cummings. Given his record of consistency, Dom should start clearing his desk.