Election is only way to solve crisis

WE’RE running out of adjectives to use to describe momentous weeks in British politics.

Because each one seems more momentous than the last.

But this week is set to beat the lot.

All our futures depend on what Boris Johnson brings back from Brussels and how our MPs react to it.

There is no love lost between the Sunday Mirror and the Prime Minister.

But we sincerely hope he does strike an acceptable Brexit deal with our EU partners, and we can all get on with our lives.

Yet there have been so many false dawns in the tortuous Brexit process that we are not holding our breath.

And, whatever happens next week, MPs have an onerous responsibilty at the end of it.

The nation is divided and Parliament is paralysed, and something must be done to break the logjam before the healing can begin.

There are many MPs who believe a second referendum is the way to do it. This newspaper has always been cautious about this. It would solve nothing if Remainers won, but by a narrower margin than Leavers did in 2016.

How many referendums would it need, for heaven’s sake, to settle the issue?

That leaves us with Boris Johnson’s preferred option of a snap General Election. This too may settle nothing. Parliament could end up even more hung than it is now.

But we accept that something has to happen. And a General Election is the least worst option.

THERE are 15million good reasons for the Sunday Mirror campaign to end the GP crisis.

That’s how many appointments with family doctors were delayed by more than a month last year.

The reason is there are too few of them. That’s why the Government must begin training 5,000 medical students now.

It’s why efforts to recruit from overseas must be redoubled.

It’s scandalous that only 350 foreign doctors are in the pipeline out of a planned 2,000.

And those we have must be retained by ending the ridiculous tax system which penalises their pensions if they do not take early retirement. GPs are worth more than the money the taxman can squeeze out of them.

CONGRATULATIONS to Eliud Kipchoge for running the first marathon in under two hours.

There are some sporting firsts which always stick in the mind. As Eliud says, Roger Bannister’s 1954 mile in under four minutes is one that stuck with him, and 65 years later he’s pulled off an equal feat.

A real sporting... ahem... milestone.