MPs were bemused by the new, helpful Johnson til they realised he will call a general election long before any damning conclusions are reached
It was all most confusing. After ignoring calls from opposition parties for a full independent inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic for more than a year, Boris Johnson is now a whole-hearted enthusiast for just such a formal process.
So much so, that less than a day after he had surprised both the Commons and himself by agreeing to an inquiry after an intervention by the Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, the prime minister was back in the chamber to give a statement on what form the inquiry might take and when it might start. You could be forgiven for thinking that Johnson is terrified of what hand grenades Dominic Cummings might lob when he comes before the science and health joint select committee later this month, and is engaged in a damage limitation exercise by trying to make it look as if he has nothing to hide.
