What the country needs most is Boris Johnson back at his desk

Boris Johnson has been out of action for almost a fortnight.

His last meaningful act before going into hospital was to force frazzled Health Secretary Matt Hancock to ditch a threat to ban outdoor exercise that he’d made live on TV in response to some tweeted pictures of people sunbathing in a park.

In place of that threat, Johnson’s Downing Street changed the tone by sending out a message telling the British public ‘thank you, thank you, thank you’ for their efforts.

Though the Government initially claimed Mr Johnson would work on his red boxes and receive briefings while in hospital, this did not actually happen (no doubt due to his rapid deterioration). Downing Street confirmed on April 13: “He didn’t receive any papers while in hospital.”

Since coming out of hospital on Easter Sunday, the Prime Minister’s sole contribution to public life has been to record a much-lauded video message to the nation within hours of his discharge, praising the NHS for saving his life and again praising the British people for their heroic efforts on social distancing.

Once again the British public, who have been overwhelmingly responsible and well-behaved, are being defined as the problem by their governing class

Then he went to Chequers and he has been completely secluded from the Government since then – recuperating full-time under the watchful eye of his heavily pregnant girlfriend.