Boris Johnson is putting politics ahead of the country when it comes to Matt Hancock

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The prime minister has said he has full confidence in Matt Hancock (Getty)

The latest chapter in the Dominic Cummings saga is interesting, not because what we learn about Matt Hancock, because anyone with an ounce of nous will have come to the same conclusion as Johnson simultaneously, if not weeks sooner. No! It is interesting because it exposes the question that most of us have been asking ever since: “Knowing that his health minister, in the worst pandemic to hit the country in a century, is useless, why has he allowed him to continue in office for a further five minutes, never mind 12 months and more?”

There is no logical answer to the question concerning efficacy in running a department of state and fighting the pandemic. Therefore I can only conclude that Johnson’s reasons are political. He has been, and is putting politics in front of the need for effective management of the fight against Covid-19. That’s how much he cares.

John E Harrison

Chorley

Matt Hancock’s boss considers him “totally f****** hopeless” yet Hancock still works for him. Has the man no self-respect?

David Hooley

Dorchester

It seems that Boris Johnson did have a low opinion of his health secretary, Matt Hancock. But that, presumably, was why he appointed him. At the earliest opportunity he sacked all the competent, experienced people who might have outshone him and revealed his own shortcomings.

Clearly, the PM needs his fall guys, so is unlikely to part with one of them as long he’s fulfilling a useful function.

Susan Alexander

Frampton Cotterell

The world is not enough

With regard to Alex Orr’s letter that we need the equivalent of 200 Australia trade deals to match loss of GPD caused by leaving the EU’s single market. There are only 195 countries in the world.

Maurizio Moore

Chelmsford

Water shortages

Cristiano Ronaldo moving of two display bottles of a soft drink lowered the value of the company by about $4bn although only temporarily. What would those $4bn dollars be able to do to provide safe, drinkable water to many people?

Most people like an occasional soft drink but all people need to drink water. Maybe there could be a few big – maybe billion-dollar – donations given to solving water shortages.

A simple message from Ronaldo but a particularly important one.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Melbourne

Lacking clarity

President Joe Biden may be playing a subtle hand with President Vladimir Putin when he says, “This is about our mutual self-interest” but this approach lacks the clarity of President Reagan's policy towards the Soviet Union which he summarised as, “We win. They lose”.

Dr John Doherty

Stratford-upon-Avon