Tory Watch

[NuneatonO's]

Matt Hancock blames Apple for coronavirus app failure and claims there was a 'plan b' all along!

The Health Secretary claimed his team had "backed both horses" and had been working on a 'plan b' app since the beginning - but in May the Department of Health told the Mirror there was "no alternative app"

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... s-22215910

Sad little 'Mr. Shouty'; who, with a face like a smacked arse, spends Prime Ministers' Question Time forever feebly attempting to shout down Starmer QC.

Matt Hancock summed up in three words..........gormless, lying, silly sausage!

[Mikero]

Calm down you will frighten Digby.

Mikero

[tuffers#1]

Do we stab em in the back ?

Triple lock unlocked?


Difficult decisions are the privelage of rank

[NuneatonO's]

Well, Johnson has already got previous for a U-turn on this; because it was going to be scrapped anyway for something called a 'double lock'. There was me thinking that's what his ex-Mistresses had installed on their front doors.

As stated within their 2019 Manifesto:
'The "triple lock" we introduced has meant that those who have worked hard and put in for decades can be confident that the state will be there to support them when they need it. We will keep the triple lock, the winter fuel payment, the older person's bus pass and other pensioner benefits, ensuring that older people have the security and dignity they deserve.'

I wonder whether this is the same security and dignity they've had, whilst dying of Coronavirus in Care Homes, over the past few months?

If Johnson again rescinds upon this clear commitment, then not only will the Tories have U-turned, they'd have actually gone full circle.

No doubt, like lambs to the slaughter, the majority of the 50 shades of grey will still continue to vote Tory though.

[NuneatonO's]

UK ministers show how 'world beating' they are all over again:

From Hancock being forced to bin the test and trace app to Raab’s BLM gaffe, who can rival the cabinet for incompetence?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... over-again

Full article below as you may not be able to open it without subscribing:

For months now the government has been prefacing all its coronavirus briefings as world-beating when the only thing in which we appeared to be global leaders was our mortality rates. But now I’m beginning to think Boris Johnson and his cabinet may have been on to something after all. Because it’s beginning to look more and more as if we are genuine world beaters: if only in total incompetence.

Check out the evidence. In Johnson we have a prime minister who lumbers from one screw-up to the next, blinded to his own failures by a narcissism that borders on the sociopathic. On Thursday, he was meeting President Macron to celebrate the 80th anniversary of De Gaulle’s speech to the French resistance: let’s hope he didn’t give Macron a copy of his book on why Churchill was exactly like Boris, in which he basically wrote off De Gaulle as completely useless.

Then we have Dominic Raab. A foreign secretary who knows so little about foreign affairs and Black Lives Matters that he thought taking the knee was something out of Game of Thrones. At this rate it would come as no surprise to find that Gavin Williamson had been labouring under the impression that the free school meals campaign had been inspired by Grange Hill. What did we do to deserve politicians quite so dim as this?

But all the recent U-turns and moronic posturing are as nothing compared to the ongoing humiliation of Matt Hancock. Poor Matt. He started out with so many good intentions of being a better health secretary than his two predecessors, Andrew Lansley and Jeremy Hunt, but now just finds himself a worthy addition to the confederacy of dunces. His ambition easily outstripped his natural abilities and he merely lurches from crisis to crisis. You can see it in his eyes. His enthusiasm has been replaced by deep suspicion of everyone around him. He also looks dead on his feet. Mattbeth doth murder sleep.

It was sod’s law of course that Matt was sent out to take the Downing Street press conference on the day both the latest fairly rubbish human test and trace figures were published and the “world-beating” app that had been promised for 1 June was finally consigned to the dustbin. Yet Hancock accepted his role and grudgingly took centre stage with Dido Harding, the chief executive of test and trace. There is no indignity that Boris could inflict that Matt wouldn’t willingly suck up just to be allowed to keep his job for a few days or weeks longer because he doesn’t have the self-worth to face Johnson down.

Matt took a few deep breaths and tried to start off on an optimistic note. Although there was as yet no vaccine for the coronavirus, he had bought up massive supplies of all the ones that were being trialled just on the off chance that one of them happened to work. It was as good as an open invitation for any snake-oil salesman to come hammering at the Department of Health’s door. Then Matt moved on to the figures for the human test and trace, which even he couldn’t spin in a positive light as it appeared that the system was missing well over half the people with the coronavirus.

Then he steadied himself and tackled the unhappy app situation head on. He had discovered months ago that the “world-beating” UK app was actually useless as it couldn’t connect with Apple phones, so he had secretly set up a second programme with Apple and Google to see if they could make their systems more effective. The Germans and Koreans might be happy with the distance at which the Apple system operated, but he wasn’t.

Here we came to the real genius of Hancock’s cunning plan. Because faced with the choice of testing a system on the Isle of Wight that everyone knew didn’t work or one that could possibly be improved, Matt had opted to waste several months testing the one that was a complete non-starter.

Brilliant. This was “world-beating” science at its absolute best. Testing the useless one was spearheading the international effort to show other countries precisely what not to do. It was an act of supreme “world-beating” self sacrifice for the UK to take one for the global team. The 60,000 Brits who have died of Covid-19 could rest assured they hadn’t done so in vain.

Inevitably, Matt found himself struggling with the questions from journalists. All he could do was try to pretend that the “world-beating” app had never been that important – “the cherry on Dido’s cake” – and that people shouldn’t be too worried if it wasn’t working properly until some time in the late autumn at the earliest. This after both Boris and Matt had been insistent that the app was key to relaxing lockdown restrictions, which was already taking place. It was beginning to sound as if the prime minister and health secretary were actively trying to kill people. Mattbeth doth murder more than sleep.

In desperation, Matt handed over to Harding. Unfortunately, Dido is an equally unreliable narrator having not had tremendous success with data breaches at Talk Talk and giving the go-ahead to the Cheltenham festival a week after many scientists had been pleading for a lockdown. The baroness is one of that elite club of chief executives who consistently manages to fail upwards. So her insistence that though the test and trace figures were basically crap they were still better than nothing wasn’t as reassuring as it might have been.

The briefing ended in an uneasy truce, with Matt struggling to contain his tetchiness. There’s only so much embarrassment even he can take. What he needed was a “world-beating” hero on his side. If only he had a number for Daniel Rashford.

[Mikero]

"who can rival the cabinet for incompetence?"

Well Trump certainly can, his latest pronouncement "People are not wearing masks for protection, they are using them as a protest against me."

Mikero

[Disoriented]

"who can rival the cabinet for incompetence?"

Well Trump certainly can, his latest pronouncement "People are not wearing masks for protection, they are using them as a protest against me."

Mikero

He is a bit like Dohnut - in a class of his own.

[NuneatonO's]

Nearly 1,500 deaths in one day: UK ministers accused of downplaying Covid-19 peak

Ministers have been accused of playing down the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic after it emerged that more than 1,000 people died every day in the UK for 22 consecutive days – in stark contrast with daily tolls announced by the government.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/ ... id-19-peak

Whilst I have rarely had any respect for the Tory Party, this current mob truly are below any form of usual contempt.

They are actually an utter disgrace to humanity.

[NuneatonO's]

Conservative activist suspended after telling Labour MP to 'go back to Pakistan'

Party announces investigation into Theodora Dickinson after comments posted, and swiftly deleted, on Twitter:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... o-pakistan

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53106605

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politic ... 74406.html

This ghastly woman describes herself as a Conservative political communications and social media consultant. How ironic (not to mention how thick!) to therefore put such a thing upon a social media platform!

What truly wonderful people these modern Tories are.

[Dohnut]

"who can rival the cabinet for incompetence?"

Well Trump certainly can, his latest pronouncement "People are not wearing masks for protection, they are using them as a protest against me."

Mikero

Better still, read Labour’s new 2019 election report. A really good read and A very well put together report. Got to read the pdf again, lots to take in. Honest and hard hitting.

Then come back and talk about incompetence. Makes the current idiots in charge look like top class professionals.

[tuffers#1]

"who can rival the cabinet for incompetence?"

Well Trump certainly can, his latest pronouncement "People are not wearing masks for protection, they are using them as a protest against me."

Mikero

Better still, read Labour’s new 2019 election report. A really good read and A very well put together report. Got to read the pdf again, lots to take in. Honest and hard hitting.

Then come back and talk about incompetence. Makes the current idiots in charge look like top class professionals.

Idiots can always be idiots .

But when they are deceitful crooks & liars
running the sh*t show ,

Id rather have idiots , they will at least do
there best for everyone.

Crooks & liars mock us all .

As long as im alright jack
Toryism has & always will be decietful.

[PoliticOs]

You've read all 154 pages overnight, Dohnut? Impressive.

You find the report shows Labour to be far more incompetent than the Tories? I'm not seeing that myself. Or did you mean those in charge of the Labour Party? That makes more sense. I'm seeing a poor understanding of structure and a very clear example of why the PR machine needs to be totally dismantled and remade, but I certainly wouldn't say it makes the Tories look like 'top class professionals'. Not sure they have the ability to look in front of the mirror like this, even though it took the LP far too long to do the same.

[Disoriented]

"who can rival the cabinet for incompetence?"

Well Trump certainly can, his latest pronouncement "People are not wearing masks for protection, they are using them as a protest against me."

Mikero

Better still, read Labour’s new 2019 election report. A really good read and A very well put together report. Got to read the pdf again, lots to take in. Honest and hard hitting.

Then come back and talk about incompetence. Makes the current idiots in charge look like top class professionals.

Relentless.

[Dohnut]

You've read all 154 pages overnight, Dohnut? Impressive.

You find the report shows Labour to be far more incompetent than the Tories? I'm not seeing that myself. Or did you mean those in charge of the Labour Party? That makes more sense. I'm seeing a poor understanding of structure and a very clear example of why the PR machine needs to be totally dismantled and remade, but I certainly wouldn't say it makes the Tories look like 'top class professionals'. Not sure they have the ability to look in front of the mirror like this, even though it took the LP far too long to do the same.

Tell you what. I started to read it and couldn’t put it down. Was interested to see a Guardian journalist amongst those involved. OK, given my background this stuff, in depth reports, is my thing. The data was fascinating, the graphs extremely telling and the commentary surprisingly honest. An exceptional piece of work in my opinion and I’ve read plenty of big reports, and produced a few too, in my time.

The comparison between the Tories and Labour when looking at the approach to the 2019 election was massive. It was telling that despite wining, the Tories acted as though they lost, Labour despite losing acted as though they won. Hugely incompetent by the Labour top team. Other aspects of incompetence are seen throughout the work that dwarfs anything we see from the Tories, who, by this account ran a slick, precise and effective election campaign against Labours ragbag disjointed effort. Not hard to understand why Labour lost so big and theIf tough ask to regain credibility. Though will say my opinions of Corbyn are well known, this reports shows why. But even I was surprised by the level of his lack of leadership. Incompetence.

Whilst the report is good, it too plays into the hands of the Tories. It outlines in advance how Labour may go about improving for 2024 So the Tories, who will dissect every paragraph, will be ready.

It also suggests, to me anyway, that if Labour are to win an election they need to attract the middle ground People, start relating to people in the modern world and stop trying to be revolutionary far left protesters, which is how I see them. Blair got it so right, Corbyn so wrong. Parties exist for the people, something Labour seem to have forgot.

So, over the next few weeks I’ll read it again and digest it more. It’s that good. Well done Labour to do this, a real start on the long road of recovery now they have ditched the incompetent fool running the show.

[Admin]

You've read all 154 pages overnight, Dohnut? Impressive.

You find the report shows Labour to be far more incompetent than the Tories? I'm not seeing that myself. Or did you mean those in charge of the Labour Party? That makes more sense. I'm seeing a poor understanding of structure and a very clear example of why the PR machine needs to be totally dismantled and remade, but I certainly wouldn't say it makes the Tories look like 'top class professionals'. Not sure they have the ability to look in front of the mirror like this, even though it took the LP far too long to do the same.

Heh. Another one willing to do battle with President Business.

Good luck and fare thee well. You’ll soon find that there are hidden shallows to our £1 shop Claude Littner.

[Dohnut]

You've read all 154 pages overnight, Dohnut? Impressive.

You find the report shows Labour to be far more incompetent than the Tories? I'm not seeing that myself. Or did you mean those in charge of the Labour Party? That makes more sense. I'm seeing a poor understanding of structure and a very clear example of why the PR machine needs to be totally dismantled and remade, but I certainly wouldn't say it makes the Tories look like 'top class professionals'. Not sure they have the ability to look in front of the mirror like this, even though it took the LP far too long to do the same.

Heh. Another one willing to do battle with President Business.

Good luck and fare thee well. You’ll soon find that there are hidden shallows to our £1 shop Claude Littner.

A comment not very becoming Admin. I’m sure you will read this report too, I can recommend it. Then I would be interested on your take.

I’ve never hidden my dislike of Corbyn and Johnson. Never hid my likings for Blair and Thatcher. One of a growing breed of people today, which is in the report, of the swing voter. I have no party loyalty. My voting history reflects my roots, more Labour than Tory. I have the power of objectivity, something those on the far right and far left lose. And when challenged, resort with nastiness and insults. Not pretty and not healthy.

As for our previous debates. I shall remind you I remained polite whilst you got rude. Any angst you feel is a measure of you rather than me. And history has proven me to be largely right as far as the Labour Party is concerned. So I anticipate more insults flying in my direction.

Personally I would welcome sensible debate between people who have differing opinions. Time to bury the historical stuff and move on.

[PoliticOs]

You've read all 154 pages overnight, Dohnut? Impressive.

You find the report shows Labour to be far more incompetent than the Tories? I'm not seeing that myself. Or did you mean those in charge of the Labour Party? That makes more sense. I'm seeing a poor understanding of structure and a very clear example of why the PR machine needs to be totally dismantled and remade, but I certainly wouldn't say it makes the Tories look like 'top class professionals'. Not sure they have the ability to look in front of the mirror like this, even though it took the LP far too long to do the same.

Tell you what. I started to read it and couldn’t put it down. Was interested to see a Guardian journalist amongst those involved. OK, given my background this stuff, in depth reports, is my thing. The data was fascinating, the graphs extremely telling and the commentary surprisingly honest. An exceptional piece of work in my opinion and I’ve read plenty of big reports, and produced a few too, in my time.

The comparison between the Tories and Labour when looking at the approach to the 2019 election was massive. It was telling that despite wining, the Tories acted as though they lost, Labour despite losing acted as though they won. Hugely incompetent by the Labour top team. Other aspects of incompetence are seen throughout the work that dwarfs anything we see from the Tories, who, by this account ran a slick, precise and effective election campaign against Labours ragbag disjointed effort. Not hard to understand why Labour lost so big and theIf tough ask to regain credibility. Though will say my opinions of Corbyn are well known, this reports shows why. But even I was surprised by the level of his lack of leadership. Incompetence.

Whilst the report is good, it too plays into the hands of the Tories. It outlines in advance how Labour may go about improving for 2024 So the Tories, who will dissect every paragraph, will be ready.

It also suggests, to me anyway, that if Labour are to win an election they need to attract the middle ground People, start relating to people in the modern world and stop trying to be revolutionary far left protesters, which is how I see them. Blair got it so right, Corbyn so wrong. Parties exist for the people, something Labour seem to have forgot.

So, over the next few weeks I’ll read it again and digest it more. It’s that good. Well done Labour to do this, a real start on the long road of recovery now they have ditched the incompetent fool running the show.

Pretty impressed you read the whole thing already! But if this is your background then fair enough.

What would you say is in there that dwarfs the incompetence of the Tories, out of interest? Also, what examples does it give of the Tories acting as if they lost?

I disagree on the 'far left' tag, it just really wasn't, but think it gives a good example of why they lost, too. Labour were about as left as the Tories were to the right, but one of those were deemed as 'protesters' or 'incompetent', the other as realistic and competent. I'm really glad the report exists and is honest, but I think much of it is pretty simple. There was no way a win could be achieved with a 'Corbyn plus Brexit' approach. Maybe one, but not both at the same time. I actually think if Corbyn had been heavily publicly on the side of leave they'd have had more chance than Starmer and heavily remain.

Plus right side parties can team up easier than left side parties can as it's easier to be a Tory, economically right and concede some social issues to the left than it is to be Labour, economically left and concede some social issues to the right.

[Dohnut]

You've read all 154 pages overnight, Dohnut? Impressive.

You find the report shows Labour to be far more incompetent than the Tories? I'm not seeing that myself. Or did you mean those in charge of the Labour Party? That makes more sense. I'm seeing a poor understanding of structure and a very clear example of why the PR machine needs to be totally dismantled and remade, but I certainly wouldn't say it makes the Tories look like 'top class professionals'. Not sure they have the ability to look in front of the mirror like this, even though it took the LP far too long to do the same.

Tell you what. I started to read it and couldn’t put it down. Was interested to see a Guardian journalist amongst those involved. OK, given my background this stuff, in depth reports, is my thing. The data was fascinating, the graphs extremely telling and the commentary surprisingly honest. An exceptional piece of work in my opinion and I’ve read plenty of big reports, and produced a few too, in my time.

The comparison between the Tories and Labour when looking at the approach to the 2019 election was massive. It was telling that despite wining, the Tories acted as though they lost, Labour despite losing acted as though they won. Hugely incompetent by the Labour top team. Other aspects of incompetence are seen throughout the work that dwarfs anything we see from the Tories, who, by this account ran a slick, precise and effective election campaign against Labours ragbag disjointed effort. Not hard to understand why Labour lost so big and theIf tough ask to regain credibility. Though will say my opinions of Corbyn are well known, this reports shows why. But even I was surprised by the level of his lack of leadership. Incompetence.

Whilst the report is good, it too plays into the hands of the Tories. It outlines in advance how Labour may go about improving for 2024 So the Tories, who will dissect every paragraph, will be ready.

It also suggests, to me anyway, that if Labour are to win an election they need to attract the middle ground People, start relating to people in the modern world and stop trying to be revolutionary far left protesters, which is how I see them. Blair got it so right, Corbyn so wrong. Parties exist for the people, something Labour seem to have forgot.

So, over the next few weeks I’ll read it again and digest it more. It’s that good. Well done Labour to do this, a real start on the long road of recovery now they have ditched the incompetent fool running the show.

Pretty impressed you read the whole thing already! But if this is your background then fair enough.

What would you say is in there that dwarfs the incompetence of the Tories, out of interest? Also, what examples does it give of the Tories acting as if they lost?

I disagree on the 'far left' tag, it just really wasn't, but think it gives a good example of why they lost, too. Labour were about as left as the Tories were to the right, but one of those were deemed as 'protesters' or 'incompetent', the other as realistic and competent. I'm really glad the report exists and is honest, but I think much of it is pretty simple. There was no way a win could be achieved with a 'Corbyn plus Brexit' approach. Maybe one, but not both at the same time. I actually think if Corbyn had been heavily publicly on the side of leave they'd have had more chance than Starmer and heavily remain.

Plus right side parties can team up easier than left side parties can as it's easier to be a Tory, economically right and concede some social issues to the left than it is to be Labour, economically left and concede some social issues to the right.

Looking at how Labour approached the 2019 elections compared to the Tories. People need to read it for themselves to determine what level of competence existed in the party. Not so much their policies but the wide ranging offers that failed to give people any idea of what they were really about, For me a bit like going into a pick and mix sweet shop. You may like what you see on offer but no way can you have it all. No clear message, diluted, fuzzy. So much on offer that people felt they were not realistic or deliverable. Which they weren’t. My views exactly at the time. Pie in the sky. Not credible. I would call that incompetent, others may disagree. The election result suggests incompetence to me.

Their 2017 message, for the many not the few, was better. The Tories had a simple clear message In 2019, appropriate at the time. Labour do talk about the improvement in 2017. Personally I see it as no more that people being sick of austerity, the May car crash of an election campaign and Corbyn making attractive offers. Yet May still won. Writing on the wall.

The far left tag is an interesting one. It’s about perception. Some great graphs in there covering this stuff and the ground, largely either side of the centre, parties need to win over. And where maybe people see Labour. Don’t matter whether it’s right or not. I need to study that a bit more to really grasp the message.

Interesting to see their take on people. The decline of the “traditional working class” voters and the decline in Trade Union membership”. All strong Labour areas but declining. People are changing, Labour still stuck in the past.

The habit of voters by age is fascinating. The young tend towards Labour but with age that tendency swings towards the Tories. Interesting to see also the numbers of working class people moving towards the Tories.

Interesting graph on socialism across Europe. In decline. The fight in future is around the centre ground.

I can’t possibly do the report justice in one read. Too much to absorb. Looking forward to some good bedtime reading over the next week or so. Kier has to break records to win the next election. I wish him luck.

[tuffers#1]

Im amazed people still want to deflect the Story party incompetence by blaming the opposition .

No wonder this alliance of countries will never be GREAT again .

[tuffers#1]

UK ministers show how 'world beating' they are all over again:

From Hancock being forced to bin the test and trace app to Raab’s BLM gaffe, who can rival the cabinet for incompetence?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... over-again

Full article below as you may not be able to open it without subscribing:

For months now the government has been prefacing all its coronavirus briefings as world-beating when the only thing in which we appeared to be global leaders was our mortality rates. But now I’m beginning to think Boris Johnson and his cabinet may have been on to something after all. Because it’s beginning to look more and more as if we are genuine world beaters: if only in total incompetence.

Check out the evidence. In Johnson we have a prime minister who lumbers from one screw-up to the next, blinded to his own failures by a narcissism that borders on the sociopathic. On Thursday, he was meeting President Macron to celebrate the 80th anniversary of De Gaulle’s speech to the French resistance: let’s hope he didn’t give Macron a copy of his book on why Churchill was exactly like Boris, in which he basically wrote off De Gaulle as completely useless.

Then we have Dominic Raab. A foreign secretary who knows so little about foreign affairs and Black Lives Matters that he thought taking the knee was something out of Game of Thrones. At this rate it would come as no surprise to find that Gavin Williamson had been labouring under the impression that the free school meals campaign had been inspired by Grange Hill. What did we do to deserve politicians quite so dim as this?

But all the recent U-turns and moronic posturing are as nothing compared to the ongoing humiliation of Matt Hancock. Poor Matt. He started out with so many good intentions of being a better health secretary than his two predecessors, Andrew Lansley and Jeremy Hunt, but now just finds himself a worthy addition to the confederacy of dunces. His ambition easily outstripped his natural abilities and he merely lurches from crisis to crisis. You can see it in his eyes. His enthusiasm has been replaced by deep suspicion of everyone around him. He also looks dead on his feet. Mattbeth doth murder sleep.

It was sod’s law of course that Matt was sent out to take the Downing Street press conference on the day both the latest fairly rubbish human test and trace figures were published and the “world-beating” app that had been promised for 1 June was finally consigned to the dustbin. Yet Hancock accepted his role and grudgingly took centre stage with Dido Harding, the chief executive of test and trace. There is no indignity that Boris could inflict that Matt wouldn’t willingly suck up just to be allowed to keep his job for a few days or weeks longer because he doesn’t have the self-worth to face Johnson down.

Matt took a few deep breaths and tried to start off on an optimistic note. Although there was as yet no vaccine for the coronavirus, he had bought up massive supplies of all the ones that were being trialled just on the off chance that one of them happened to work. It was as good as an open invitation for any snake-oil salesman to come hammering at the Department of Health’s door. Then Matt moved on to the figures for the human test and trace, which even he couldn’t spin in a positive light as it appeared that the system was missing well over half the people with the coronavirus.

Then he steadied himself and tackled the unhappy app situation head on. He had discovered months ago that the “world-beating” UK app was actually useless as it couldn’t connect with Apple phones, so he had secretly set up a second programme with Apple and Google to see if they could make their systems more effective. The Germans and Koreans might be happy with the distance at which the Apple system operated, but he wasn’t.

Here we came to the real genius of Hancock’s cunning plan. Because faced with the choice of testing a system on the Isle of Wight that everyone knew didn’t work or one that could possibly be improved, Matt had opted to waste several months testing the one that was a complete non-starter.

Brilliant. This was “world-beating” science at its absolute best. Testing the useless one was spearheading the international effort to show other countries precisely what not to do. It was an act of supreme “world-beating” self sacrifice for the UK to take one for the global team. The 60,000 Brits who have died of Covid-19 could rest assured they hadn’t done so in vain.

Inevitably, Matt found himself struggling with the questions from journalists. All he could do was try to pretend that the “world-beating” app had never been that important – “the cherry on Dido’s cake” – and that people shouldn’t be too worried if it wasn’t working properly until some time in the late autumn at the earliest. This after both Boris and Matt had been insistent that the app was key to relaxing lockdown restrictions, which was already taking place. It was beginning to sound as if the prime minister and health secretary were actively trying to kill people. Mattbeth doth murder more than sleep.

In desperation, Matt handed over to Harding. Unfortunately, Dido is an equally unreliable narrator having not had tremendous success with data breaches at Talk Talk and giving the go-ahead to the Cheltenham festival a week after many scientists had been pleading for a lockdown. The baroness is one of that elite club of chief executives who consistently manages to fail upwards. So her insistence that though the test and trace figures were basically crap they were still better than nothing wasn’t as reassuring as it might have been.

The briefing ended in an uneasy truce, with Matt struggling to contain his tetchiness. There’s only so much embarrassment even he can take. What he needed was a “world-beating” hero on his side. If only he had a number for Daniel Rashford.

[tuffers#1]

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[tuffers#1]