Andy Richardson: 'Things are moving in wrong direction'
The number of people testing positive for Covid-19 is rising.
On Sunday, there was a 50 per cent increase in a single day, giving the UK its highest daily total since May.
Those who thought we were out of the woods might sensibly reflect on the trees that surround them. Some NHS trust bosses believe the Government has lost control (again), with a Covid-19 endemic in poorer communities. This time, however, it’s different. As younger people ignore social distancing, the rate is spreading fastest in those aged 20 to 29. Parties followed by a couple of weeks on the sick is de rigueur.
London, the epicentre of the first wave, seems to have learned its lesson… for now. Office workers are staying home, sensibly ignoring Boris’s plea to return to their desks. In doing so, they are suppressing the virus in our most susceptible city. The price for that is the demise of restaurants and pubs, cafés and theatres.
Even plucky Matt Hancock accepts things are now moving in the wrong direction. Test and trace is a farce, with some centres running out of capacity and some people in Manchester being offered tests in Scotland. So much for world class. As we emerge from lockdown, such challenges are to be expected.
Levels of competence among ministers are a concern. Rishi Sunak is openly talked of as a successor to BoJo, even though the Clown Prince won an 80-seat majority less than a year ago. His bluster no longer compensates for his inattention to detail, constant policy flip-flops and apparent laziness. Sir Keir Starmer has him on toast each week at PMQs.
Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, has launched Operation Sleeping Beauty, to get theatres fully re-open by Christmas. He appears not to have noticed that most have already cancelled their pantomimes or that it takes five-to-six-months to organise a big-scale production. In yet another U-turn, Dowden had previously said that the Government would not consider announcing any dates for full reopening before November, meaning the crucial cut-off for theatres to commit to Christmas shows was missed.
Dowden has not committed to a date, which means it makes for a good soundbite but is meaningless in practice. If he’s serious about Operation Sleeping Beauty, perhaps he’ll audition for the role of Maleficent.
