An article by Tim Shipman in The Sunday Times yesterday has certainly struck a nerve. Shipman is close to Downing Street and is a friend of Johnson; in fact he is the PM's official biographer which makes the article even even more difficult to understand. It makes the claim, as I did, that Cummings was pushing the now abandoned herd immunity solution even though he knew many elderly people wouldn't survive. It was damaging stuff.
Essentially, it's the same story reported by Alex Wickham at Buzzfeed that I linked to yesterday. Downing Street have emphatically denied it. I don't know if it's true or not but in a sense that doesn't matter - and anyone who lives by the lie should also die by it anyway - it's why the story came out at all. Is someone trying to heap the blame on Cummings in order to get rid of him? The delay may well be crucial in the coming weeks and somebody will have to be thrown to the wolves.
Wickham himself backed Shipman:
Wickham himself backed Shipman:
Tim Walker of The New European thinks that the person who put out the story is none other than Johnson himself:.I’m afraid No10 also called a line I wrote two weeks ago that Cummings initially didn’t see coronavirus as a top priority “bollocks”. It was not bollocks - it is true. And the characterisation in @ShippersUnbound piece today has been backed up by many over the last 10 days. https://t.co/h13ZH7Tub9— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) March 22, 2020
Every word of the Sunday Times piece that dobs Cummings in it today - written by Johnson’s mate and future biographer - is about saving Johnson’s skin and was therefore almost certainly dictated by him. pic.twitter.com/8UCkUT8Snu— Tim Walker (@ThatTimWalker) March 22, 2020
It sounds like a noble plan - for Johnson. Worthy of a member of the Bullingdon Club. Get yourself out from under a mountain of s*** while dumping the increasingly troublesome Cummings in it.
Dom's career in campaign management has been spectacularly good. You can't argue otherwise. But success in his political work is harder to find. As chief of staff to IDS when he was Tory leader, he lasted eight months. He quit as Gove's SPAD at education in 2013. So he has no track record of delivering any solid policy achievements.
Cummings was said to be contemptuous of IDS' intellectual capacity and can hardly be impressed by Johnson's which is no better and probably worse. One can imagine there is some tension in the relationship so the idea Johnson is behind it is not altogether unbelievable.
It's clear now the next five years will be spent imposing austerity and there will be no money for transforming the state in the way Cummings always wanted to anyway. He is just going to cause a lot of trouble for nothing, why not get rid of him and cover yourself at the same time? Make sense doesn't it?
As for the 'scientific' advice on which the government's initial plans were based, this has been described as "overcomplicated, too academic, relied on incomplete data, overlooked testing & health service capacity" in a tweet and I note one reply by a Dr Quentin Vaughan claimed, "There isn't one WHO document on the list of evidence SAGE used."
Many more heads will roll sooner or later.
As for the 'scientific' advice on which the government's initial plans were based, this has been described as "overcomplicated, too academic, relied on incomplete data, overlooked testing & health service capacity" in a tweet and I note one reply by a Dr Quentin Vaughan claimed, "There isn't one WHO document on the list of evidence SAGE used."
Many more heads will roll sooner or later.
The economy
David Smith had a front page story in the Sunday Times, echoing what I said about the measures Sunak announced on Friday and the sheer cost of them. He said it was the chancellor's third rescue package in a week. First, in the budget it was £12 billion, then it was £20 billion plus £330 billion in loan guarantees. His latest package, according to Smith, 'will dwarf the other two'. And this does not include help for the five million self employed who will also need help.
At this rate we will soon be talking serious money.
And Faisal Islam at the BBC has got hold of a letter from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) asking companies not to file preliminary financial statements and to advise the markets that they (the FCA) have asked them to delay reporting. Companies have to confirm they will comply by first thing this morning.
The reason given is that the 'basis for reporting and planning is changing rapidly'. I assume this is about not spooking the markets even further. Frightening stuff.
And Faisal Islam at the BBC has got hold of a letter from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) asking companies not to file preliminary financial statements and to advise the markets that they (the FCA) have asked them to delay reporting. Companies have to confirm they will comply by first thing this morning.
The reason given is that the 'basis for reporting and planning is changing rapidly'. I assume this is about not spooking the markets even further. Frightening stuff.
Johnson managed another press conference yesterday having taken a day off to 'have a rest' on Saturday. We learned the government is to contact 1.5 million of the most vulnerable in the next few days with the PM coming under concerted pressure to order a lock down to force people to stay at home.
I must say Johnson would come over better if he didn't keep trying to make a joke out of something. He too often looks like he's presenting an episode of HIGNFY with that knowing smirk urging viewers not to take anything he says too seriously. He alternates this with a shamefaced, hangdog look as if he's advertising a treatment for hemorrhoids.
Even with training he can't quite bring himself to do serious, let a!one grave. His lifelong struggle with the truth is finally beginning to tell.
And MI6 Rogue thinks a total lockdown will be announced very soon:
It has been arranged, The PM is to be told tomorrow he no longer has a choice, He must prepare the UK for a "Lockdown" situation. There will be push back from D Cummings but this will be dealt with, He is about to learn what take back control means. #COVID19 #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/uHUrXFnCR7— MI6 Rogue 🇬🇧 (@mi6rogue) March 22, 2020
Get ready...
