Prime Minister driven by spirit of Churchill in this century’s darkest hour

AS AN impassioned fan – and biographer – of Winston Churchill, Boris Johnson has learned lessons from the wartime leader, adopting the great man’s ability to exude confidence and authority in times of crisis.

Mr Johnson is right to say that his administration needs to “act like a wartime government”. Covid-19 is undoubtedly the biggest existential challenge this country has faced since the Second World War.

We may not have bombs falling onto our cities, but the invisible terror we now all face threatens the stability of this nation and that of the entire globe.

Civilisation again is what is at stake, not from a terrible ideology, but from a crisis that threatens to bring to a halt our way of life for an uncertain period and bring the economy and businesses crashing down unless the right action is taken.

So after just 33 days in his new job, Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s intervention yesterday was a hugely important boost.

The eye watering £330billion bailout dwarfs even the 2008 banking collapse in its scale and ambition, but the nature of the crisis merits such a response.

Even more important is the message that the government will “do whatever it takes” to keep jobs secure and businesses afloat.

It would be wrong for them to simply stand back and watch as the economy collapsed around our ears over the next few months. As many in the country prepare to self isolate with their livelihoods uncertain this will be a massive relief and comfort.

It is true that even with such a significant sum there is probably more to do in terms of protecting the self employed and those who pay rent.

Some businesses may well be asking whether taking on more loans is worth the risk or whether it is better to fold.

Fortunately, the Government has at least intervened with insurance payments from lost trade for pubs, theatres and others.

The three-month mortgage holiday will also be welcome as it has worked in Italy.

What all this does is give the country a chance to come through this time of crisis relatively unscathed.

These are without doubt dark days – and the darkest days are yet to come.

Grand gestures are certainly needed and thank goodness we have a Government, Prime Minister and Chancellor who are not timid in this respect. This has also been shown in the astonishing national effort in putting together new equipment, especially ventilators for the NHS.

There is no doubt that this country will eventually emerge stronger than ever – but for now we need the reassurance and support that the Government is providing.