Boris Johnson’s first year in No10 has been a personal and political roller coaster.
In the past 12 months the Prime Minister has got divorced, got engaged, become a father again and had a brush with death.
He grappled with Brexit and led the Conservatives to their best election result since the 1980s – though December’s poll was less a landslide in favour of the Tories, more one against Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour.
Doubts about Mr Johnson’s ability have been confirmed by his handling of the pandemic.
In the face of the biggest crisis to hit this country for more than 70 years, we have been lumbered with a leader who dislikes details and lazily assumes that humour and misplaced optimism is the answer to the nation’s ills.
The Government was too slow to test, too slow to lock down, too slow to provide PPE.
Mr Johnson has also shown a nasty authoritarian streak – suspending Parliament, booting out opponents and muzzling critics.
Based on how he has performed so far, there are plenty of reasons to be worried about the next four years and few to be optimistic.
Special branch
Britain's banks used to be proud of their role at the heart of every community.
Now they are closing branches at an alarming rate, more than 600 in three years.
The banks claim they are not necessary in the age of online banking but this ignores the needs of the disabled and elderly.
And it overlooks millions of small businesses relying on branches to deposit cash payments.
If the Government cares about local communities, it should require banks to maintain a minimum number of branches.
It’s not as though the banks can’t afford it.
Thank you all
In Friday’s Mirror we pay tribute to the tens of thousands who volunteered during the height of the coronavirus outbreak.
Their small acts of kindness transformed lives and showed the best of this country.
