Boris weak as stars set an example

For the first time since the pandemic struck we have been given a reason for hope. From this week the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine will start to be administered. It will be a life-changing moment for those living under the darkest clouds of Covid.

It means people who have been shielding will finally be able to leave their homes.

It means families can be reunited, care home visits can be made without fear, and frontline health workers can be protected.

In the long run, it offers the opportunity for life to return to normal so we can wave goodbye to the days of social distancing.

But vaccinations only work if the majority of people take them.

As deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam has warned, a low uptake of the jabs will almost certainly mean the restrictions will have to last longer.

Some people have concerns about the safety of the new vaccines.

This is partly because of the misleading information about inoculation that has been allowed to swirl unchecked across social media.

But it is also because of a lack of faith in this government.

That is why we should applaud celebrities who stepped forward to endorse the jab.

By setting an example they will encourage more people to get vaccinated which, in turn, will help us contain the virus.

The fact this paper has turned to A-listers for help in getting this message across is a damning reflection on the low standing of ministers.

It is a consequence of Boris Johnson lazily raising expectations and offering false hopes.

He told us in July that life could return to normal by Christmas. It didn’t.

He told us we could soon return to offices and workplaces. We didn’t.

He told us that a second lockdown in England was avoidable. It wasn’t.

When public trust has never been more essential for the good of the country, the Prime Minister has squandered it.