Dominic Cummings vendetta is sideshow to Covid chaos – The Yorkshire Post says

It will be for the annals of history to judge the vendetta being pursued by Mr Cummings who was lucky not to be sacked for breaching the first lockdown with that trip to Durham and Barnard Castle.

What matters now is not the personal agenda of Mr Cummings in his self-righteous TV interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg; it is the national interest at another critical moment in the fight against the Covid pandemic. Instead of being distracted by the commentary of Mr Cummings, the Prime Minister and his top team need to be getting a grip of the Government’s communications if they want to avoid the NHS being overwhelmed this summer.

This need is epitomised by mixed messages, inconsistencies and U-turn over self-isolation rules alone in recent days – if Ministers are unsure of their own rules, how can they expect the public to follow them?

It is compounded by confusion over vaccine passports. Having ruled out their introduction, the Government chose the very day that it eased lockdown restrictions to revisit the idea. In the meantime, some of its rulings on the status of overseas travel, appear illogical and few will have drawn any confidence from the answers that Transport Minister Robert Courts gave to MPs.

Now it is important to remember that the pandemic is unprecedented – and Britain is better off than those countries where the vaccine programme is still in its infancy.

But this risks being compromised unless the Government’s leadership is more sure-footed and that Ministers are willing to show humility when they misstep. For, if they do, they might – just – find it slightly easier when they next ask the public to make sacrifices in the Covid struggle.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.