That there is no immediate prospect of a dramatic easing of Covid-19 restrictions is depressing but necessary as the vaccination effort accelerates.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s admission that there will be no sudden “open sesame” moment was a rare piece of realism from a man who regularly oozes false optimism.
Now MPs have voted to extend the £20-a-week Universal Credit payment to six million families – nearly half of them low wage working households – we urge the PM to make the uplift permanent.
Conservatives abstaining on the Labour call was pitiful, an attempt by Downing Street to minimise a rebellion. That wasn’t leadership by Johnson. It was cowardice.
The UK now has the world’s worst current Covid death rate and poorer families are hit the hardest. It is an appalling record.
Jabs are giving us hope but slashing family incomes increases fears that the future will be grim for millions of us.
Poisoned state
Unprecedented security around Joe Biden’s inauguration – including security checks on the 25,000 armed soldiers there to guard the incoming President – is Donald Trump’s poisonous legacy.
The fear of an assassination attempt by a crazed Trump supporter is so real that the clampdown looks like something from a dictatorship, not a democracy.
Trump must fear a day of judgement for allegations ranging from tax avoidance and perjury to inciting a mob to invade the US Capitol and commit an attempted coup.
Biden will be a breath of fresh air simply because he is not Trump.
Worth a shot
Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy seeking to end their Wagatha Christie clash is an outbreak of common sense.
Better to kiss and make up than to pull out each other’s hair in court. Both could be losers if their reputations are trashed.
