Matt Hancock is really struggling to get his words out today!

[Teddypops]

Gosh he is struggling. Forgot the name of one of the advisers.

Twinny “ As far as I am aware no other countries are getting daily briefings and the subsequent media grilling from their government”

I was wondering that but it’s going to be hard to wind back.

If the bad news isn't Boris or the Turkish govt cancelling the export and keeping for themselves (iirc their cases are climbing), it will be the stand off between Hnacock and Sunak about lifting lockdown. Lift, loads die. Dont lift, the economy is eviscerated (indirectly, loads die). It's an absolute clapper of a shit sandwich.

Looking at the financials, I would open. But then, I'm not Matt Hancock with the weight of so many such vile (direct) deaths on my shoulders.

Rishi is reassuring but only from the point he was offering 300 billion pounds to businesses, lets face it none of us had a clue he even existed before then - that windfall does endear a person somewhat and he hasn't been ill though, as far as I know.

Lucy it’s not a windfall, it’s taxpayers paying their own wages because they contain phase was non existent.

OP Boris was doing the press conferences when he was still contagious, Matt Hancock should be at home but isn't because he's had it - no one is going to tell Hancock to go home and switch off until he's horizontal.

You may be right, PicsInRed, he did look like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Increasingly I think they know there's really no way out until we have a vaccine.

I think he’s having a Covid relapse and there’s no way they will want to admit that.

Did wonder.
He was wiping his nose and looked shattered at the Nightingale Opening. He clearly wasn't properly recovered, but he (and Whitty, who also appears very unwell vs earlier in events) probably felt pressure to return asap due to Boris already being out of action.

I'm also sick of the people who couldn't do his job in their wildest dreams. It's easy to criticize, a whole lot harder to do what he does day after day.

@LilacTree1 I don't disagree but it was something that made people feel a bit positive at the time. Rishi was the beneficiary of that.

Can you imagine doing his job right now? Think about the hours he must be working trying to work out what to do next in this shitstorm that absolutely no-one could have predicted.

Exhausted & never getting a moment to spend with his own family. Plus those media fuckers just talking shit and asking vacant and inept questions every single day. The media & the gutter press stirring everything up and most of the British public gullible enough to read it.

I’m sharing my friends petition - please sign & share too.

www.change.org/StopPointlessQuestions

I think they should be challenged and public questions asked but agree the quality should be higher. Is there a way so that other bodies etc could present questions?

• bloody autocorrect!

My petition, not my friends

Unbelievable petition.

How ridiculous.

Totally agree they should be challenged, but perhaps in a less aggressive and confrontational way?

From talking about what's going on with Matt Hancock to Bullingdon Club and £50 notes. For goodness sakes stop politicising this.

Would any party be in a better position? Maybe, maybe not.

Unlike most countries we do not have a healthy manufacturing base for pharmaceuticals or clothing. It's been run down for years by every Labour and Conservative government on the alter of the services sector.

Now we are seeing the effects of that when trying to get test reagents and PPE, in a scramble with lots of other nations from those countries that made sure they had an all round economy, not just services.

Also not only is the government trying to source PPE for the NHS, but every man and his dog want them to get it for them too. Most care homes are businesses, what arrangements are they making for themselves. Nothing. Remember when this is all over, they will continue to pay their staff peanuts while making hefty charges to the residents, their family or to local councils.

@twinnywinny14
Most countries are doing a daily grilling with the media. Certainly US. Italy and Ireland as I‘get seen them.
Today was slightly less awful than usual but ours are usually a master class in not answering a question.

He’s an out and proud dyslexic which (from my own experience of dyslexia) along with tremendous pressure and still getting over the virus, makes speaking from notes that bit harder. Also likely explains why the questions after went better. I admire that he usually just gets on with it, but it all adds up. As others have said, he’s only human.

Apparently he is a really good chap. I actually feel for him. My sister works with him and says he’s a very caring person. I think this is getting to him and he isn’t fully recovered from COVID. I hope he perks up a bit soon. We do need the calming tones of Chris Whitty.

@Mylittlepea Most of the questions are to the point and catch out the lies we're being fed in the first part of the conference, I am happy journalists are able to grill him on some of the mis-facts and BS he (and the govermnent) are trying to sell to us.

It's not surprising he's shattered. People are too critical. I know not who'd do a better job.

Can't wait to see Chris Whitty again.

He's not long since recovered from the virus himself. That alone is probably still leaving him feeling exhausted. I think he returned to work long before he was ready. In his first couple of conferences back, he still seemed to be struggling for breath.

@Mylittlepea

Totally agree about the quality of the journalists' questions. Don't they listen to each other? Some of them are mind numbingly tedious.

Not clicked on link though. Don't sign up to petitions of any sort.

Examples:

Why are we having a lockdown now?
Did we lock down too late?
When can we end the lockdown?
Why are there so many deaths?

Really!!!

.

Vera99 - Mus be true if it's in the Sun 🤔

God, it's desperate. Absolute ahambles. Boris and his fucking Churchillian dream.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-uk-only-formally-asked-turkey-for-ppe-shipment-after-it-said-it-was-already-on-its-way-11976238

Britain only made a formal request to Turkey over a consignment of personal protective equipment on Sunday

• the day after a cabinet minister announced the "very significant additional shipment" was already heading to the UK,

Turkish sources have told Sky News. 🤔