How Boris Johnson’s defence of Dominic Cummings has stripped him of power – leader comment

Dominic Cummings affair has robbed Boris Johnson of the ability to use his brush with death to motivate public over Covid-19.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives back at No10 Downing Street from hospital following the birth of his baby son with his partner Carrie Symonds shortly after he was released from hospital where he was treated for Covid-19

Leadership is an intangible quality that is possessed, in its truest form, by a small number of people. Followers have a tendency to wander off and do their own thing if not they are not won over, motivated and inspired by someone possessed of the requisite amounts of empathy, confidence and intelligence.

In the fight against Covid-19, Scotland’s leaders have focussed on an appeal to reason and compassion – this is a deadly threat and we need to abide by draconian restrictions in order to save lives. Both the Scottish and UK governments have been issuing daily death tolls partly to underline this is a matter of life and death. However, repeat a message often enough, even a shocking one, and it starts to fade into the background noise.

After Police Scotland issued nearly 800 dispersal orders to people for failing to abide by social distancing rules on Saturday alone – about five times the number the previous Saturday – Nicola Sturgeon made a reasoned argument against such behaviour, warning the recent relaxation could be reversed.

But she also revealed that until the weekend she had not known anyone “within my own family or friend or close colleague network ... who had had this virus in a significant way. That changed this weekend. Why am I telling you that? Because it’s still there”. Making the disease personal in this way could help those who are no longer listening to dry statistics stop and think about someone they know who is particularly susceptible and about how they would feel if they infected them after going to a party or barbecue.

However, the First Minister’s personal story is nothing like as powerful as Boris Johnson’s, given he could have died from Covid-19. His personal testimony about the dangers of the disease and the need to follow the rules really could save lives. Even if his Government is keener on re-opening the economy than Scotland’s, it is still urging the public to take coronavirus seriously.

The problem is, of course, that his credibility in this respect has been shattered by the Dominic Cummings affair. If the public’s perception is that the lockdown rules do not apply to the Prime Minister’s closest aide, they are unlikely to be motivated or inspired by Johnson’s appeals to abide by them.

And they are are, therefore, more likely to wander off and start doing their own thing. And the most important thing they are doing is spreading a deadly infectious disease to which we have no immunity and which has no cure.

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