The Prime Minister Boris Johnson drove his own ethics adviser to quit as he ripped up the rulebook by refusing to sack Priti Patel despite a formal investigation finding evidence that she bullied civil servants.

After a Cabinet Office inquiry, Sir Alex Allan said the home secretary’s conduct “amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying” – noting instances of shouting and swearing, and finding that she had breached the ministerial code. The principal reason for the lenient treatment of Priti Patel is that her bullying was “unintended”.

This is not the first time the prime minister has failed to act and stamp his authority. Who can forget the adventures of Dominic Cummings, the PM’s ex chief advisor who broke the lockdown rules (which he himself helped to draw up) when he drove 500 miles round trip with his wife who had Covid symptoms and child in their car?

When questioned, Mr Cummings said he was testing his eyes. Also, the fiasco of the ‘A’ level exam results. The Education Sec, Gavin Williamson is still in place to continue his gross mismanagement, no doubt to the detriment of our young people.

Unfortunately Boris Johnson’s blatant hopelessness doesn’t end there.

The National Audit Office has just published a report into the government’s procurement during the pandemic. It shows that of the £18 billion worth of contracts awarded in response to Covid-19, £10.5 billion were granted directly without competition. Advisors and consultants were paid £7,000 an hour. How can this possibly be the best use of taxpayers’ money? The prime minister said at PMQ’s that he is “Proud of our record”.

Yet still despite all this, Johnson goes bumbling along and to his fan base he is still ‘Good Old Boris'.

Eric Hyland