I agree with your views on many subjects, Iain, but not on this one. Cummings is a key player in the government. He masterminded Boris’s success in the referendum, Brexit and the election. He and Boris make a highly effective team and to shoot him down now would be madness – anyway for what? The relentless campaign by the BBC and other media is highly vindictive and reflects the detestation felt by remainers and Tory-haters for Cummings’ success as an extremely effective SPAD – despite the fact that he did us all a favour by digging the government and the country out of the dreadful morass engendered by the unfortunate May.

I used to admire Laura Kuennsberg. I now hate the sight of her. I cannot stand her single-minded and relentless attacks – and the BBC’s vengeful persecution of Cummings - for political reasons.

In subsequent programmes the BBC trotted out one Cummings-hating 'expert' after another - so much for the BBC's claim to be impartial. The truth is that they have never forgiven him for engineering the successful Brexit plan and helping to put Boris into no. 10.

What we saw yesterday was nothing less than trial by BBC and the media of a key man in government decision-making, who was put in a thoroughly distressing situation and did what he did solely to protect his child. The howling bunch of finger-pointers and grievance mongers, not to mention the unspeakable mobs besieging his home and attacking his family should be ashamed of themselves. What a vindictive and nasty lot we are!

Finally, ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone’.

Could you be a nit-picker, Brian?

The immediate removal of Cummings whose wild appearance engenders instant identification as a 'hate' figure, without considering his obvious usefulness to the PM when he sorely needs help and guidance.

I am supporting Boris, not just because I think he’s the best chance we’ve got for a good outcome but because I owe him one – some many years ago when he was editor of the Spectator he was invited to speak to our Association and I gave him a slightly disobliging ‘vote of thanks’, calling attention to the fact that there were 7 Johnsons on the Spectator at the time.

If we shoot Boris down, as so many commentators seem to want, who would they want to take his place? Starmer? Starmer is a lawyer with a huge sense of grievance. Lawyers are by their very nature a bunch of nit-pickers and their devotion to regulation can be dangerous– never let us forget the egregious Cherie Blair the fruit of whose work now favours the terrorist killers rather than their victims.

Let us not forget too that the membership of the Labour party still includes a majority of Momentum supporters – that sinister bunch of Trots and anti-Semites led by the doubly sinister Stalinist, Seamus Milne and including the toughs of the wrecker unions who turned this country into the sick man of Europe, until Maggie rescued us.

People should be careful what they wish for.

Why on earth should you think that, ExTory?

People should be careful what they wish for. The hooha over this wretched Cummings affair is playing into the hands of Starmer and the scandal-chasing media. We voted by a huge majority, primarily for a highly charismatic Boris rather than the Conservative party, because his drive and energy was getting us out of the mess caused by May.

Boris has made it quite clear that Cummings is invaluable to him and he will not let him be thrown to the lefty wolves and nit-picking Tories. So are we going to attack and weaken the government when they are clearly having to make desperately important decisions on the spur of the moment - when they are in the hands of the so-called experts in facing the dreadful threat posed by Covid 19? Are we going to kick Boris when he is still convalescing from a near death experience, because he supports his adviser who also faced this deadly threat – and was no doubt worried out of his mind?

We appear to be approaching a possible slackening of the rules as the incidence of Covid 19 eases off. Should we not look at the bigger picture – and give Boris the chance to get us through this dreadful situation. I know we are a vengeful and vindictive lot, but should we not cut Boris a bit of slack at this crucial time?

'A further effect of the virus is to put the Government in the dock'. When Boris took over, he did so because he appealed to a majority of people of all political persuasions in this country, whereas no one else came close. He started off on a firm footing, all guns blazing, dedicating himself to improving the lot of the ex-Labour voters in the north and taking a firm hand in the Brexit negotiations – to nearly everyone’s relief, even a lot of erstwhile remainers. Then the pandemic struck and everything was put on the back burner.

Fatefully, Boris became an early victim - and it seems to me, in the light of recent findings about the effects of the virus that he may not be firing on all cylinders since he is clearly still recovering from a deadly attack of the disease, but in view of the near panic which afflicted the nation when he was apparently at death’s door, felt it his duty to come back to reassure us - but not a spark of sympathy for him, even from the Daily Telegraph, while the Times insists on lampooning him as the clown on the zip-wire – and as for LBC, I cannot listen to it any more between 10am and 1pm to hear that self-congratulatory buffoon, James O’Brien, for whom any stick will do to beat the government, pouring his anti-Boris vitriol into our ears.

It would be a tragedy for this country if we allow the government to be derailed at this vital stage. The trouble is that it is not easy to find anyone who could match his initial drive and enthusiasm if he needed further convalescence. Meanwhile Starmer, while pretending to support the government’s initiatives in the national interest is busily trying to torpedo the government as it struggles to find the right course in an unprecedented catastrophe, to no one’s advantage.

When Boris took over, he did so because he appealed to a majority of people of all political persuasions in this country, whereas no one else came close. He started off on a firm footing, all guns blazing, dedicating himself to improving the lot of the ex-Labour voters in the north and taking a firm hand in the Brexit negotiations – to nearly everyone’s relief, even a lot of erstwhile remainers. Then the pandemic struck and it was all put on the back burner.

Fatefully, Boris became an early victim - and it seems to me, in the light of recent findings about the effects of the virus that he may not be firing on all cylinders since he is clearly still recovering from a deadly attack of the disease, but in view of the near panic which afflicted the nation when he was apparently at death’s door, felt it his duty to come back to reassure us - but not a spark of sympathy for him, even from the Daily Telegraph, while the Times insists on lampooning him as the clown on the zip-wire – and as for LBC, I cannot listen to it any more between 10am and 1pm to hear that self-congratulatory buffoon, James O’Brien, for whom any stick will do to beat the government, pouring his anti-Boris vitriol into our ears.

It would be a tragedy for this country if we allow the government to be derailed at this vital stage. The trouble is that it is not easy to find anyone who could match his initial drive and enthusiasm if he needed further convalescence. Meanwhile Starmer, while pretending to support the government’s initiatives in the national interest is busily trying to torpedo the government as it struggles to find the right course in an unprecedented catastrophe, to no one’s advantage.