As I write the records show that 28,131 people in the UK have died of the virus.   The true figure is said to be much worse.  The toll in Italy, the worst hit country in Europe, stands at 28,710.

And yet Johnson says his policies have been “a success.”   He is not responsible for the virus, but he is responsible for the dithering, the delays, the confused messages, the happy-go-lucky drivel that he spouted, “wash you hands while you sing Happy Birthday, twice,” and such nonsense.  He is responsible for many deaths that could have been avoided.

It is tempting to take Johnson at his own valuation, a wind-bag and a joke. But he is no joke, he has done irreparable damage to our country; he has misled those who trusted him, and by his incompetence he has killed.  That is not a joke; it is a tragedy.