Thread by @brucemcd23

Priceless from Johnson - in answer to a question from @janemerrick23 - I have to say , in all candour to the British people, you only have to look around the world to see dire consequences of not bearing down on the virus

No need to look around the world PM

PM demonstrated throughout contradiction of being absolutely clear and highly conditional simultaneously

In ans to qu from @carldinnen on Civil Servants going back to office effectively said was convinced it was safe for them to go back to work if it was safe for them to do so

For the first time in #CovidCrisis afaik PM announced a partnership between Central and Local Government

So that makes it 5 months too late

From tomorrow LoGov gets new powers to

*Shut

*Cancel

*Ban

Speaks volumes . Sub contracting out the heavy lifting

Of course the pressing question is whether Govt will actually now ensure the flow of local data for test and trace that Local Government needs to fight any threat of local spread

So far the answer is no

https://twitter.com/Lisa_McNally1/status/1283489569640513536

Of course truly effective strategy needs to be built up using local capabilities. Because ultimately success will lie in swift and focussed local action to break chains of transmission

And approach driven by series of headline grabbing announcements is antithesis of strategy

So PM , in Cummings House Style , made Big Number (£3 bn for NHS) and Big Bang ( Over by Christmas) Set Piece Announcement ( subject to T&C’s) and threw in Testing Number as Game Changer

Boys at No 10 love a Game Changer

Dido Harding (Duty Responsible Adult) gently qualified

PM took Dido’s steer . Of course he meant the whole Test and Trace thingy , kit and caboodle. That was the Game Changer . I exaggerate only slightly

No PM

That’s fundamental building block of effective strategy

Which you should have been putting in place from 12 March -FFS!