Today the prime minister faces a crucial vote in the battle against coronavirus. MPs will be asked to vote once more on restrictions to prevent the spread of the new variant. But Boris Johnson has lost the most vital element needed to guide a country through a crisis. The trust of the people.
Central to this loss of trust are the allegations that coronavirus rules were flouted by his administration, and the perception that there is one rule for the Tory elite and another for all of us.
The Metropolitan Police should have investigated these allegations and established the truth once and for all. Sadly, Dame Cressida Dick, the Met’s commissioner, has allowed people to believe that the rules are not being equally applied.
She has said that the Met does not routinely investigate “retrospective breaches of the rules”, but has failed to explain why it is treating the No 10 parties differently from several other retrospective breaches which the Met are investigating.
It is not because of a lack of evidence. There is ample prima facie evidence that a breach took place. I doubt a video of thieves discussing a job they had pulled off would be ignored by the police in the same way.
Advertisement
In any event the commissioner has a duty to investigate crime and look for evidence. She is compromised however by the fact that the government protected her over the summer. Now it appears as if she may be returning the favour.
If an illegal gathering happened at our homes we would expect to be questioned by the police. The authorities have already successfully prosecuted similar parties held by less powerful people. The prime minister should not be treated as a special case.
The benefits of a police investigation are that public trust in the system can be maintained, rule breakers can be held to account and public health protected. It is typical of this prime minister that he has ignored his own rules and taken a sledgehammer to the fragile trust that currently exists in public life.
With trust eroded and with cases of the new variant rocketing, public health messaging should not now be coming from Downing Street. It should come from the chief medical officers, local authorities, and untainted sources.
Earlier in the pandemic when centralised messaging was dropped in favour of more localised targeted campaigns it improved confidence and had the desired effect in increased vaccine take up. Continued public trust is crucial if the new variant turns out to be more dangerous and if we are to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed.
Advertisement
In order to get through the pandemic public confidence is vital, whether that be on vaccine passports or further restrictions on our lives. Put simply you cannot lose the trust of the people and then expect them to follow orders.
Our country deserves better than the current deceit and hypocrisy. People’s faith in governance and policing must be restored. That starts with taking accountability and doing the decent thing.
Neither Boris Johnson nor Cressida Dick are the leaders our country needs. They should give way to those who can restore confidence and trust. They may turn a blind eye to each other’s failings, but the country will not. The public will rightly hold them accountable and demand a proper police investigation.
Barry Gardiner is MP for Brent North and a former shadow cabinet minister