Boris Johnson’s lack of clarity about the latest Covid response is a deliberate policy, not an oversight
Another day, another set of bad Covid figures, and another jumble of mixed messages from Boris Johnson. Ever since the threat from the Omicron variant arose, the UK government has hedged its bets on how seriously it should be taken. The semi-reputable reason is that the data about the variant and its impact is not yet clear; things will be better in two weeks. The wholly disreputable reason is that it takes avoidable risks with lives and health for political reasons. This week the government has ramped up the booster vaccine rollout; on Thursday it announced the purchase of 114m new doses. Yet it has also run a mile from giving clear guidance to the public on how to respond over the Christmas period. On Thursday this happened again, twice.
First the work and pensions secretary, Thérèse Coffey, one of Mr Johnson’s more independent-minded cabinet ministers, told an interviewer that snogging under the mistletoe with strangers should be avoided for health reasons. She was quickly disowned by Downing Street for trespassing into decisions it sublets to individuals (though not for overlooking that people you know and kiss may be carriers too). Then the science minister, George Freeman, one of the government’s more sensible voices, said that he was against large Christmas parties this year and that his department had cancelled its own. A couple of hours later, Downing Street hung him out to dry too.
