Lives could be lost by a no-deal Brexit disrupting supplies of vital medicines.
So it is irresponsible of Boris Johnson and his gang to falsely claim that abruptly ending our EU trading relationships would be safe.
In prioritising personal political survival over the wellbeing of tens of thousands of people, Johnson’s game of bluff is a deadly threat to those in his line of fire.
The ignorant dismissals of hard evidence are more contemptible than ever when even the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, refuses to rule out patients dying due to drug shortages if Britain leaves without a deal.
A Brexit deal by October 31 looks highly unlikely after Johnson delayed submitting the deeply unsatisfactory proposals, which seem as if they were designed to be rejected.
So it is in the interests of the nation’s physical and not just economic health that we stay longer while negotiating a safe deal.
Tell the truth
Boris Johnson’s inability to answer a straight question is one of the reasons why the scrutiny continues into his relationship with American Jennifer Arcuri.
This is no private affair. Public money and access were involved – and her denials and his evasiveness as details emerge are no substitutes for a formal inquiry.
Johnson cannot plausibly maintain the fiction he never talks about his private life.
Just last week he revealed at the Tory conference, live on TV, that his mother voted for Britain to leave Europe in the 2016 referendum.
The truth is, this PM is happy to talk about himself when it works for him and avoids it when he is worried we won’t like the truth.
Magical, Billy
Comedian Billy Connolly talking about coping with Parkinson’s will hopefully help other families in a similar position.
And we also hope that his telling how “magical” life is when people show kindness when he requires it, ensures that all of us lend a hand when we see a stranger in need.
