Johnson must pay for incompetence and lack of purpose

SO, Boris Johnson is a rogue and a chancer who has a flexible not to say distanced relationship with the truth. We already knew that when the electorate gave him a thumping majority.

The suspiciously wellorchestrated series of leaks has achieved its purpose no doubt and I have personal reasons for anger at the hypocrisy and arrogance of all these Downing Street parties.

But outside the Westminster bubble people are concerned about the rising cost of living and the likelihood of continuing high inflation, some of it created by the mismanagement of energy supply by successive governments.

There is worry about the Russian threat to Ukraine and the Chinese threat to Taiwan. There is a definite whiff of the 1930s – with climate change on top. To deal with all this we have a prime minister who has lost all moral authority and a Government which has lost a sense of purpose.

“Levelling up” is good but it is a slogan not a policy, and Michael Gove’s attempt to give it substance is being strangled by the Treasury. Throwing inconsequential “red meat” to Tory backbenchers is just insulting.

Boris has lost touch with working class voters who thought he would kick back against the metropolitan leftliberal elite who secretly despise the rest of us. He does not seem to know what he is there for.

I wonder if those who bang on about his charisma have talked to any independent voters lately. What is needed at this moment is competence not charisma.

This lack of competence and loss of purpose means that Boris Johnson must go.

From: Mike Potter, Pickering.

GEORGE Eustice insists that a birthday gathering of people with cake, party food and singing isn’t a party.

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if ministers could insist that a huge massing of Russian troops isn’t a threat of war; rampant inflation and spiralling fuel costs won’t seriously impact anyone; an overwhelmed and increasingly privatised NHS won’t affect people’s healthcare; lack of worldwide Covid vaccination will absolutely not result in any more ‘‘variants of concern’’ killing more people and crippling the economy?

Finally, wouldn’t it be to the benefit of every UK voter if Ministers could honestly insist that all Covid rules were scrupulously adhered to at all times?