Every month of Boris Johnson’s premiership brings a new reminder of his rank unfitness for office. As the country is on the verge of an Omicron wave that could pose a profound challenge to the NHS, the government is mired in a deep political crisis entirely of its own making, after a week in which yet more of Johnson’s hypocrisy and corruption have been exposed.
A year ago, citizens made huge sacrifices in obeying Covid restrictions to limit the number of individuals who lost their lives in the second wave. As in the first wave of the pandemic, Johnson left it far too late to introduce social restrictions last autumn, with the result that thousands died needlessly and more damage than necessary was inflicted on the economy. But public compliance with restrictions when they were eventually brought in was high, as people did their bit to ease pressure on the NHS and save lives. Relatives missed saying final goodbyes to loved ones with Covid; grandparents missed first Christmases; more people than usual spent Christmas alone. Yet we have discovered that individuals working for the government held Christmas parties across Whitehall, including in No 10, in flagrant breach of the government’s own regulations that so many people abided by, at great personal cost.
…
It is a national misfortune that we have a man who is by far and away the worst postwar prime minister in office at the time of the worst postwar crisis. Johnson lacks any shred of integrity, is driven by ego and self-interest and has been prepared to mislead voters over and over again. He is incompetent and embodies the entitled politician who sees politics as a game rather than a duty. He is utterly unfit to govern Britain. » | Observer editorial | Sunday, December 12, 2021
