Cummings crisis threatens virus fight

For any government to have credibility it must uphold the rules it imposes on the public that voted it into power in the first place. That rather obvious concept is more important than ever when those rules relate to a vital health message.

The current coronavirus lockdown was imposed in the UK in order to protect lives and ensure the NHS did not become overwhelmed. Those immediate targets were achieved but there has been a terrible price to pay.

Thousands of families up and down the country are now mourning the loss of a loved one to Covid-19 and have not had the opportunity to afford them a proper send-off.

Others whose families have not been immediately touched by the virus have still had to observe stringent lockdown conditions at home in order to minimise its transmission within the community.

In reality that has led to the breaking of normal family bonds, the enforced separation of couples who do not ordinarily live together, the isolation of grandparents from their grandchildren and the divorcing of all ages from their circle of friends.

It has been a painful experience and one from which the scars will take a long time to heal.

In such times, leadership is more important than ever especially when ranks are broken.

In Scotland, chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood initially lingered after news of her visits to a second home in Fife were publicised.

But it was a brief stay of execution when a full picture of her transgressions of the coronavirus messaging which she was tasked with promoting became clear.

Over the weekend a similar narrative developed around Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s special adviser.

A divisive figure at the best of times, Mr Cummings’ decision to drive hundreds of miles across the country during lockdown while displaying symptoms of Covid-19 caused a tidal wave of derision and calls for him to go.

But Mr Cummings was not for leaving of his own accord and the prime minister has now chosen to stand by his man.

Ultimately, Boris Johnson will be judged on his handling of the Covid crisis and, within that, whether he put the best interests of a trusted aide before those of the country at large.