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@BethRigby "R number & case nos. will inform pace of easing lockdown. On new cases, told by senior figure cases running at about 16k a day. Aim is to reduce that to 4k. Told it taking 1-2 wks for new cases to halve. So there is hope govt could begin lifting lockdown in 3 wks."/1
I'm shocked & dismayed by this. It implies we were just 3 weeks from reducing the number of infections to a low & manageable level. Gov't has chosen this moment to:-
a) Brief the press that lockdown would be relaxing soon- resulting in last Thursday's celebratory headlines/2
a) Brief the press that lockdown would be relaxing soon- resulting in last Thursday's celebratory headlines/2
b) Change the clear messaging to the current very vague 'Stay Alert' message.
c) Tweak rules- announced by Johnson in most shambolic political message I can ever remember. Sometimes messages unravel within a day or two. His message unravelled as each word fell from his mouth/3
c) Tweak rules- announced by Johnson in most shambolic political message I can ever remember. Sometimes messages unravel within a day or two. His message unravelled as each word fell from his mouth/3
d) Allow the unified approach of the four home countries to collapse.
All this means that, after weeks and weeks of lockdown, and when we were a few weeks from reaching the stage when we could safely relax the lockdown in a controlled manner,.../4
All this means that, after weeks and weeks of lockdown, and when we were a few weeks from reaching the stage when we could safely relax the lockdown in a controlled manner,.../4
....the government, with its premature spaffing, has put everything the country has sacrificed at risk. It's a disaster. It will be very surprising if we don't see a spike in infections because of this communications catastrophe. /5
The government has been a disaster in handling this virus. It just blunders from one cock-up to the next.
I now think it's time for Keir Starmer to call for a national government. The country cannot afford to endure another few weeks of this shambles. /6
I now think it's time for Keir Starmer to call for a national government. The country cannot afford to endure another few weeks of this shambles. /6
The only problem is that Mr. Johnson should resign but I can't see anybody on the Tory benches that could step up to the challenge- this crisis is calling out for a steady, strong hand and somebody who can work hard with a grasp of the detail. That person is Keir Starmer. /7 Ends
