Boris Johnson appears to be self-isolating in a coronavirus hotspot – 10 Downing Street

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If cabinet meetings can be conducted remotely, why was it necessary for the prime minister to spend half an hour in 10 Downing St with Lee Anderson MP, resulting in his self-isolation at a most critical time for the nation?  

Anderson’s Ashfield constituency was held by labour until 2019, and Anderson is an ex-member of the Labour Party. Does bolstering the Conservatives’ hold on the “red wall” take priority over the national interest?

John Wilkin

Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk  

Getting the cleaners in

Boris Johnson held a meeting at No 10 and one of the attendees subsequently tested positive for coronavirus. On discovering this our prime minister says that he is going to self-isolate.

Unless he's got the deep cleaners in sharpish then that would mean that he is currently self-isolating in a potential hot spot of coronavirus contamination.

It would seem that our illustrious prime minister either hasn’t thought this plan through or maybe, just maybe, he’s trying to pull the face mask over people’s eyes.

Steff Watkins

London

The Great Divide

I agree with Lucinda Borrell’s article on “the north” and its [equal appreciation of] culture but it raises the question, where does the north start?

Doug Flack

A Scouser living in Derby

On the one hand Lucinda Borrell is to be applauded for her response to the ignorant nonsense from MP Jake Berry [about people loving ballet and culture in the south, while those in the north prefer football]. On the other hand, I’m not sure I’d bother to dignify his comments with a response.

Well, perhaps just a couple of well-chosen words would suffice.

Anthony Ingleton

Sheffield

Hypocrisy

At the start of the pandemic we were regularly shown pictures of the “wet market” in Wuhan in China where the outbreak is alleged to have started. This and similar facilities across Asia were described in terms designed to show them as “third world”. To be sneered at. Animals confined in tiny cages, stacked together. Barbaric.

Now we are learning of similar problems arising in “mink farms” across Europe. These poor creatures are also housed in tiny cages stacked together. But the tone of the descriptions is altogether different. After all, this is Europe and we don’t do barbaric.

Clearly this is hypocrisy. The issues are the same whether the cages are in Wuhan or Scandinavia. We must adopt proper standards of animal welfare globally. For the good of the animals and humanity.

Bernard Cudd

Morpeth, Northumberland

Deja vu

So Nicola Sturgeon continues her virtue signalling, telling Donald Trump he must respect democracy and stand down. 

And this from the politician who, since the day after she lost the 2014 independence referendum when almost 85 per cent of us turned out, has ceaselessly campaigned to overthrow the result of that “once in a generation” vote. Apparently, Sturgeon doesn’t do irony.  

Martin R

Roxburghshire