Rishi Sunak has given Boris Johnson a masterclass in messaging

Instead of saying he would extend the scheme for a month and then cut government support for it, he gave the impression that people would carry on being paid at current levels, writes John Rentoul

The chancellor springs a surpise in the House of Commons (Reuters)

As the chancellor rose to speak in the House of Commons, his team posted a graphic on his personal Twitter account that said, “Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Extended,” with the catchline, “We Stand Together” in vivid contrasting colour, and his own signature underneath, over the title, “Chancellor.”

One person who will recognise that as a leadership bid will be Boris Johnson, who is not only recovering from Covid-19 but from the mauling his “mixed messages” have received over the past two days.

What a contrast. The prime minister has been criticised – including by the members of the public drafted in to give him a break from negative, nit-picking, oppositional journalists at his news conference on Monday – for vague and contradictory communications.