The headlines write themselves: man dressed in a Dominic Cummings costume, with full hair and make-up, returns to blow up the Government. Happy Halloween, Prime Minister.
The revelations emanating from the Covid-19 Inquiry are frequently stunning, if not always wholly surprising. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case suggesting that Boris Johnson “cannot lead”, or former senior aide to the ex-MP Martin Reynolds speaking of a “systemic failure” to prepare for the pandemic. It seems that what was happening in Government was as bad as much of the reporting at the time suggested it was — that is, total chaos.
The point of this inquiry isn’t simply to embarrass politicians by publishing juicy WhatsApp messages. It has been established to examine Britain’s response to, and the impact of, the pandemic, and to learn lessons for the future. How we can build a more resilient state, what to prioritise (keeping children in schools) and perhaps not repeat (Eat Out to Help Out).
Sir Keir Starmer has his own difficulties today, managing a party split by how to respond to conflict in the Middle East. Yet he is unlikely to want to swap his problems with that of Sunak.
Ulez is working
There’s something for everyone in the first figures since the expansion of the Ultra low emission zone. They show that the number of older, more polluting vehicles being driven in Greater London has fallen by 45 per cent — but it cost drivers £26 million in levies and fines in its first month. The report from Transport for London reveals that, by the end of last month, average compliance rates had risen to 95.3 per cent — with rates for cars in outer London now almost on a par with those in the central zone.
As for the official health impact, critical in the Mayor’s decision to move ahead with Ulez extension, we will have to wait and see. The six-month report will demonstrate whether or not air pollution has fallen, though TfL is optimistic. As of now, the scheme is working as intended, compliance is high and the sky hasn’t fallen in.
Help! Jackson’s fear
Brevity has not always been Sir Peter Jackson’s forte. The Lord of the Rings trilogy clocked in at more than nine hours, while The Beatles: Get Back ran for nearly eight hours. But that has not deterred him from directing the music video for the band’s final track, Now and Then, which has its world premiere on Friday.
Sir Peter told the Standard: “My lifelong love of The Beatles collided into a wall of sheer terror at the thought of letting everyone down.” He added that he never actually agreed to make it, he just got “swept along”. Fans know the feeling.
