Warmest congratulations to Boris and Carrie Johnson on their daughter’s birth.
The Mail can be seduced by the cheerful news and thinks that Prime Minister will have many sleepless nights.
But his travails over a relentlessly dispiriting few weeks mean he’s probably already having quite a few.
Johnson, politically speaking, has been going from crisis to crisis. And – to his supporters’ intense frustration – they have been solely of his own making.
First, he sparked a sleaze row by trying –and failing – to rip up Commons disciplinary rules to save Owen Paterson’s skin.
Next, evidence emerged that – despite his denials – he had intervened to prioritise the rescue of Afghan animals, not people.
Boris Johnson is bouncing from crisis to crisis. And – to his supporters’ intense frustration – they have been solely of his own making
He then lied about whether the No10 staff had held a Christmas knees up last year, in violation of strict lockdown rules. While the rest of us were forbidden from comforting our dying loved ones,
This is yet another scandalous mess. The PM has been forced to deny misleading his own standards adviser over who paid what – and when – for the lavish makeover of his Downing Street flat.
The seriousness of these incidents is not diminished by the Mail. These scandals are not Watergate, as far as scandals go. But Mr Johnson’s tendency to be cavalier with the truth damages his credibility and authority – and hands ammunition to his enemies.
He must be disciplined and proper to avoid getting into political territory.
It’s impossible to say, of course, whether these recent scrapes will have long-term repercussions at the ballot box.
What will undeniably harm the Government, however, is the mounting fury – and Tory mutiny – over the absurd decision to impose tougher Covid restrictions.
Despite what ministers may insist, Plan B restrictions (covering vaccine passports and work-from home orders) aren’t footling regulations. These are a severe curtailment of personal liberty rights.
It is important that the PM recognizes and accepts the catastrophic collateral damage caused by such ominous restrictions to businesses, livelihoods, health, society, and all other aspects of life.
Will the creep stop there? We are not optimistic. Already, the authoritarian Left – including politically-motivated Sage scientists whose forecasts have proved so pitifully wrong – are howling for a full lockdown.
However, there are increasing evidences that Omicron is less severe than the previous strains. In fact, here not one person has ever been admitted to hospital, and even fewer have died. The NHS is also not at risk of collapsing.
It is important that the PM recognizes and accepts the catastrophic collateral damage caused by such ominous restrictions to businesses, livelihoods, health, and society.
We must accept this virus and learn how to live with it, he said solemnly. Let him do it.
Good sense on gender
Liz Truss’s commendable decision to drop anchor on plans to ban conversion therapy is an outbreak of common sense.
The legislation was seized by trans militants and criminalized teachers, parents, and doctors who question any child who wants to switch gender.
Liz Truss’s (pictured) commendable decision to drop anchor on plans to ban conversion therapy is an outbreak of common sense
These conversations aren’t transphobic. These conversations are rooted in the desire to make sure a child feels secure before they embark on a life-altering drug or surgery course.
Inadvertent harm could result from this complex bill. This bill is too crucial to be rushed.
Keep China in check
The fact that ministers are probing China’s ‘malign influence’ on Britain’s scientific community is very reassuring.
Too reliant on Chinese funding, many of our universities are pawns in the totalitarian regime’s ruthless propaganda war. One example? They quickly dismissed concerns about Covid’s leakage from Wuhan’s lab.
They are also eager to exchange sensitive research with Chinese Communist Party colleagues.
These ‘useful idiots’ must wake up. We are at risk from their greedyness and ignorance.