Boris Johnson’s habit of dither and delay has led us to this point

Editorial: The country is waiting for the vaccine – the prime minister is right that the weeks ahead will be difficult

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The prime minister likes to portray himself as a man of action, impatient to get things done, responding rapidly to events, a bundle of energy driving a lethargic government machine, the very antithesis of the twin evils of “dither and delay”.

His broadcast announcing another national lockdown, with twin union flags in the backdrop, was an attempt to reinforce that image of decisive leadership.

If only. Boris Johnson's record of dealing with the Covid-19 crisis has been one long, sorry saga of – and there is no better phrase – dither and delay. Or rather, asymmetric dither and delay, because he and his government have been consistently late in imposing national restrictions but overly hasty when the moment came to relax them.