Come on Boris, get Britain back to work!

WHEN the pandemic struck, the mantra was stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives.

Today, with the virus largely under control but the economy gasping on life-support, the Prime Minister sends out a clarion call for the workers of Britain to shift the dial.

The message now is get back to work if you can, protect the economy, save jobs.

We are at a pivotal moment in this crisis, when extreme caution must start giving way to economic realism.

The summer furlough has been pleasant for many, but it has become a dangerous habit. With national income shrinking by 25 per cent in just two months, we are on the edge of a precipice.

Hundreds of thousands of jobs have already gone. If offices remain empty and streets deserted, that will run into millions, blighting lives and leaving a massive black hole in the national finances. No matter how much public money Chancellor Rishi Sunak splashes out on subsidies and incentives to help shops, pubs and restaurants, if their customers stay at home, they will go bust – causing untold damage to our national life.

Boris Johnson rightly began his back-towork drive in Whitehall, where Government departments resemble the bridge of the Marie Celeste. Instead of hiding at home, they should be setting an example.

‘We are asking schoolchildren to come back, opening shops and pubs. I think it’s time for the great civil service departments to get back to the office,’ Mr Johnson said.

Banks too, the engine rooms of recovery, are in the grip of lethargy. Several bosses have told Mr Johnson they aren’t even trying to get staff back in before the autumn.

This is simply not good enough. By then the commercial fabric of the country could be damaged beyond repair. Supermarket staff, care workers, delivery drivers and many tradesmen have worked tirelessly through this crisis. White collar workers must honour their example and follow suit. The Mail welcomes Mr Johnson’s intervention but he must now bring together leaders of our biggest industries and press them to lead from the front.

We need a new strategy to take the nation from indolence back to endeavour. Otherwise the current hibernation will turn into lingering death for great swathes of British business.