Dominic Cummings is so arrogant he believes he is above the rest of us.
That the rules he helped devise for ordinary folk do not bind him.
The PM’s most senior aide is about to learn an uncomfortable fact of life. That the higher you are up the government tree, the further there is to fall when you topple off it.
The British people have, for the most part, adhered to strict lockdown rules with fortitude.
We know that obeying them not only minimises the chances of catching the virus but also of passing it on to others.
We know lives depend on it.
So when Mr Johnson’s most senior adviser is caught flagrantly flouting them, the nation is rightly outraged.
And even when asked why he was unrepentant, replying with a dismissive sneer.
So much for a leading representative of what Boris Johnson likes to call the People’s Government.
This is not a government of the people – it is an elitist rabble pushed around by rule- breaker-in-chief Mr Cummings.
If Mr Johnson really believed in the national interest, he would dismiss Mr Cummings instantly.
That he clings on to him shows either the PM has no backbone, or he cares not one jot for the feelings of the British people.
Mr Cummings has laid the foundations of his own downfall. Mr Johnson should now bow to the inevitable.
And get shot of him sooner rather than later.
Keep kids safe
All prime ministers make mistakes. Britain’s tragedy is that Boris Johnson does not learn from his.
Lives would have been saved had he not made earlier errors. The PM is risking making another.
That is why he must pause reopening schools for more pupils until essential conditions are met to make it safe for them to do so.
Today we publish an open letter from the National Education Union, signed by 1,000 head teachers, which details what those conditions must be.
They want all scientific advice to be open so it can be reviewed by other scientists and the public.
They want assurances that social distancing in schools can be maintained and PPE provided to staff who want it.
They want ministers to talk directly to teachers and their unions as to how best keep children, and the families they return to at the end of the day, safe.
But most of all they want a guarantee that testing and contact tracing is working adequately before a date is set for children to return.
And if that is not in place, no school should open to more children on June 1.
What the PM is embarking on is an experiment with a killer disease. And our children are too precious to be used as his guinea pigs.
