UK Covid Inquiry: Devastating evidence about 'bamboozled' Boris Johnson may benefit 'boring' Keir Starmer – Scotsman comment

Boris Johnson’s lack of leadership skills during the Covid pandemic shows why voters need to make better choices

While critics lampoon Boris Johnson as “Bojo the Clown”, supporters tend to describe him as a showman, someone able to connect with voters in a way that few other politicians can. In devastating evidence to the Covid Inquiry, Patrick Vallance, the UK Government’s chief scientific adviser during the pandemic, essentially explained the problem with accepting such lightweight credentials for the office of Prime Minister.

Amid the greatest crisis of modern times, the leader of this country was “clearly bamboozled” by graphs and data; struggled to retain scientific information; and “looked broken – head in hands a lot”, Vallance recorded in his diary. At one point, Johnson said: “Maybe we are licked as a species... we are too s**t to get our act together.”

One lesson from the latest in a string of similar revelations is that, as voters, we need to get smarter about those we elect. If we learn it, it could be good news for Keir Starmer. He may be “boring”, but that tag could turn into a positive asset if public opinion turns against political ringmasters and circus acts in place of government.