Did Boris actually just do that?

[kurtrussellsbeard]

So did Boris emphasise on TV at the weekend that's schools were safe, then pressure parents and staff to attend school today only to lock everyone down from tonight abs shut schools as part of it? Send everyone in to mingle for a pointless day. Wtaf.

Is this leadership? I am struggling to think of how he could be more indecisive and incompetent.

Is there a means through which a PM can be removed?

It's an absolute joke and yet another last-minute panicky U-turn. The poor kids must be so confused; yes, you're going back to school, wait no, that's your lot.

@LangClegsInSpace

Is there a means through which a PM can be removed?

I believe if enough tories decide he's crap they can have a vote of no confidence and get rid of him. They'd replace him with another tory though and would be under no obligation to call an election.

Depressingly they’re probably more likely to remove him because he’s gone too far rather than being incompetent and acting too slowly.

@Remmy123 Oh stop moaning .. you got what you wanted , a full lockdown and schools shut. Mumsnetters must be whooping with glee abd 'I told you so's'!!

I'm glad you're not the only one who thinks this. Many people on Mumsnet have been pleading and baying for national lockdown, and schools being closed. They've now got what they wanted; are they now cracking open the champagne, and drinking to their children's ruined futures?

Boris simply must resign now, I don't see how he can still be here.
He got his wish, he "got Brexit done", he obviously doesn't care about anything else, and he certainly doesn't care about the greater good.
Tonight's U-turn dwarfs most of the previous ones; the words "schools are safe" will haunt him. Perhaps we'll see parents taking their children on protest marches: much safer than them being in school.

I’m surprised he doesn’t give himself whiplash.

Not only did he do it, he did it at 12-40

Nothing has changed since Christmas. There is no excuse for fannying around all holidays saying schools would open, mass testing of pupils, oh no the secondary schools and half of London will wait a couple of weeks, now all of London, well fuck it, might as well lock down the whole of England until mid-Feb. WTAF?!

If it wasn't so awful if would be funny. It really beggars all belief...

It's constant juggling and the man cannot win.
He could try to LEAD for once rather than wait till he’s backed into a corner and taking the last available option “alas.....”. He’s a fucking joke.

So when do we think schools will actually go back? If he says mid-February, I'm writing off the whole of this term, and if they also screw up the vaccine distribution my Y6 DD probably won't see her primary school again.

@Fizzydrinks123 that's not an excuse either. We the public have known about the new variant for weeks and the government have known for longer than that. Sturgeon made it clear before Christmas that schools in Scotland wouldn't be opening to pupils before the 18th as a result of this.

He's shown utter contempt for every working parent with children of school age.

He’s an embarrassment. I was never particularly pro-independence (Scottish) but the last year has made me desperate to break away from the Tory gov.

Ohhhhhh @MrsPernicious !!!!

It depends on the figures over the next few weeks on how the more easy to catch/spread variant pans out. No-one knows for sure. It is much easier to catch and healthcare staff are having to isolate which impacts on ability to provide essential care if you're involved in a car crash etc.

“He got his wish, he "got Brexit done"”
I doubt he gives a flying f about Brexit. His wish was becoming PM and the subsequent fawning and attention he imagined that would bring. He was right on one count, he’s certainly got plenty of attention. But yes, I agree with the gist of your comment, he can fuck off now.

I think it’s safe to say becoming the PM hasn’t been the jolly japes and adulation he was hoping for.

Seriously soscaredforjan? Can’t tell if you’re being serious or sarcastic. If serious, that’s scaremongering on a whole new level. Children were going to school before the hols, and probably mixing on Xmas day, so going to school today is hardly going to be causing huge death increases; probably we will pay the price for Xmas day bubbling though.

At least there’s the “three month” vaccine to look forward to, which may or not work seeing as it was tested with a three week gap between doses.

@MrsPernicious

Not only did he do it, he did it at 12-40

But he's only telling schools now? WTF?

DfE told schools earlier today. DH got new critical worker letter. Hge rush, DfE email attached saying may be needed to show to police tomorrow.

Keyworker children can go to school!!!!!!!

Schools didn’t know!

I completely concur with @BlowDryRat.

I was particularly surprised by the “vectors of transmission” statement. I can’t believe he actually said that out loud. I know he doesn’t care and will twist and u-turn and re-write what he says later. But it can’t simultaneously be safe and a vector during a pandemic.

He could've and should've announced this yesterday, before the kids went back, before people handed in their notice, before people made plans and wasted money trying to get everything in order. It isn't just Boris making these calls, he's just the spokesperson. Everyone who decided on this lockdown put it off for some unknown reason, and when people get angry and upset that they have 12 hours to make plans before they have to go back to work/school, it's our fault.

This might be reaching but I do wonder if Boris and his cronies put off announcing the lockdown purely because Keir Starmer and Nicola Sturgeon called for one before him. He's either done it now out of stubborness or because he needed someone else to do it and okay it before he knew it was safe. The man and his cabinet are eejits and are doing no good.

I have relatives in italy who lost a huge amount of their neighbours to covid during the first wave who are now back to having big family get-togethers without masks or social distancing or fearing death. Why are we still going into a lockdown over a year since covid started? Boris is incompetent

OP this is exactly what’s sent me over the edge tonight. The absolute uselessness of the man laid so bare. I can’t get over how terrible his performance on Marr was and now this! He needs to go.

Was also thinking just now about all the head teachers who gave up their Xmas breaks last minute to plan the testing regime - and why?!!