At risk of stating what is sometimes referred to as the “bleedin’ obvious,” and with due respect to H M Queen, pandemics are solved with scientific knowledge and medical practice. Sing the national anthem until you  are blue in the face and it will not protect you for one instant against the virus.

That is not to say that will power and self discipline do not come into it.  They do, but in terms of life style – to digress for a moment; it is for that reason that it is absolutely right and proper that the chief medical officer in Scotland has resigned having failed to follow her own advice.  Will power does not generate an invisible shield, as the prime minister is, at this very minute, discovering.

The p.m. has been, we are told, admitted “for tests” having failed to shake the virus off within the 7 day “normal” period.   They expect him to be out in a day or two.  He may be, but I doubt that he will be in a fit state to run the government, if he is.  It is not a controversial statement – you could call it a statement of the “bleedin’ obvious”  – to say that it is a rare event for a prime minister to be admitted to hospital, and that if he – or she – is, there must be a serious reason behind it.  I do not wish to sound alarmist, but it is now known that during the ’39-45 war, Churchill suffered a heart attack and pneumonia amongst other medical issues, of which the public was told not a word.

But Churchill had a designated, competent and respected deputy, Attlee.  Johnson has the 3-Minute-Wonder, Dominic Raab; who is neither designated to be his replacement, competent,  nor respected.   Muddle is the hallmark of Johnson’s administration.  It is high time he was held to account for it.

And as Kier Starmer starts to name his team it is looking as if the Tories will indeed find themselves being required to explain their behaviour and their shambolic attempt at government.  Annelise Dodds, Nick Thomas-Symonds and Lisa Nandy make up the most formidable front bench team we have seen since the 1960’s: able, experienced and motivated.

Last, but not least,   the contrast between Johnson’s behaviour – he carried on shaking hands, and sitting in close proximity with colleagues long after this was known to be ill-advised – with that of Irish premier Leo Varadkar,  a qualified doctor, who is returning to hospital work one day a week, could hardly be greater.