In times of crisis, the country wants to rally behind its government. Whatever reservations some people have about Boris Johnson, they recognise the exceptional nature of the coronavirus emergency and understand that there will be mistakes in addressing it.
A government, however, must also accept when errors have been made. The prime minister’s early response to the crisis was slow and the initial strategy — rejected by other European nations — of allowing controlled spread of the virus in the hope of building herd immunity within the population was flawed.
The government has been sluggish in setting up co-ordinating structures. Mr Johnson took too long to chair his first crisis committee and bring in other ministers alongside his advisers. The UK was slow to recognise that it was in a global race for medical equipment. It needs more and it is lagging behind on testing capacity.
Rightly, the herd immunity strategy has been abandoned as it became clear it would lead to a swamped NHS and thousands more deaths. Critics wonder why Mr Johnson was not more questioning of the original plan. The public has been impressed by the chief medical and scientific advisers but Mr Johnson is the prime minister.
The change of strategy left far less time to plan the other steps known to be necessary, but which he hoped to delay. This sense of playing catch-up explains why measures such as school closures are throwing up predictable questions yet ministers lack immediate answers. Less pardonable is the delay in getting protective equipment to medical staff. Each issue erodes confidence.
Citizens have three primary concerns: that the NHS will cope; that their livelihoods are safeguarded and that there will be enough food to eat. On each there is more to be done.
In tone and instinct the government is doing better, but there is a gap between rhetoric and delivery. Questions remain about whether the prime minister is still too reluctant to shut down parts of the country. Mr Johnson’s instincts are towards optimistic rhetoric. There is a place for this, but the public may respond better to a serious recognition of problems and precise plans to resolve them.
More positively, chancellor Rishi Sunak is rising to the challenge. His £330bn package put meat on his “whatever it takes” promise to support business and the economy. Regrettably, the extra wait for measures to support companies and individuals increased anxiety and job losses. Today he is due to announce a package to help companies retain staff and prevent them from going out of business.
On food supplies, entreaties to people to “be reasonable” are not enough to counter empty shelves. Measures to waive competition rules to allow collaboration are welcome but this cannot be left to supermarkets alone to resolve. Both the food and health equipment issues cry out for the appointment of a logistics supremo responsible for tackling such problems. Michael Gove appears to be the government’s main fixer, but there is a case for bringing in an expert from business or the military. This government lacks serious experience. It should not be afraid to bring it in, recalling former ministers if they can help.
Recent confusion over the extent of restrictions in London calls for better and more co-ordinated communications. Too many people are still freelancing in briefings, with not enough message discipline.
The government needs support and some latitude. It is learning its lessons in the teeth of a crisis which would test history’s greatest statesmen. In the first weeks it has too often seemed behind the curve. There are signs it is upping its game but catch-up time is over.
