The biggest danger to Boris comes from the enemies within

Boris Johnson’s predecessor was destroyed by her inability to meet deadlines. Theresa May extended the Brexit transition period so many times that her party eventually turned against her. Johnson, who was notorious for pushing deadlines when he was a journalist, is now discovering the political problem with missing dates. The Prime Minister may still be flying high in the polls but if he cannot meet the new date for ending restrictions — 19 July — then his own MPs will lose faith in his ability to restore normality.

The whole point of the government’s staggeringly long lockdown timetable, announced back in February, was to set an achievable deadline. The theory was that by 21 June a high vaccination rate would mean there was no question of hospitals being overwhelmed. The roadmap would offer certainty — a final end to intermittent lockdowns. Just last week, the hospitality sector was preparing to operate at full capacity, placing orders and hiring staff. Even ministers were sending out invitations to their book launches and summer parties.

Those events are off. After cases of the Indian variant soared, scientists warned that the peak of hospitalisations could rival the first wave. So Johnson announced a four-week delay to the roadmap, with the promise of a review two weeks in. He says that, this time, the date really will be a ‘terminus’.

Ministers are at pains to appear optimistic. Michael Gove has said that only something ‘unprecedented and remarkable’ could derail the latest roadmap. But as recently as last week he claimed that, if he were a betting man, he’d put money on lockdown ending on 21 June. The irony is that millions of businesses and restaurants have bet money on precisely that.