Boris Johnson has taken a few hits but he’ll come out fighting

IN less that three years in office, the Prime Minister has faced two of the nation’s biggest challenges in our post-war history: Delivering Brexit and getting us through the worst pandemic in living memory.

It has not been easy. He has taken some knocks.

But the thing about this Prime Minister is that he never stays on the ropes for long.

The pandemic knocked us all for six.

But thanks to the decisions this PM made, we were the first nation in the world to deliver a vaccine — and the fastest in Europe to roll it out.

We are now the most tested country in Europe and we have secured more antiviral drugs than any country in Europe too, saving lives with our investment in cutting-edge treatments.

Because our vaccine success has now charted a path out of Covid, we have also been able to open our economy more quickly than anywhere else on the Continent.

So much so, we have the fastest-growing economy in the G7.

So let’s get some perspective.

If Sir Keir Starmer had been in charge, we would still be cowering in the corner, too afraid to lift lockdown restrictions and too scared to resume normal life.

We would have been poorer and less free.

And if the Liberal Democrats were in charge, they would have had us stuck in the European Union with our hands pinned to our sides, blocked from getting our own supply of vaccines.

The last people you want in charge of our precious country is that bunch of lightweights.

In taking the big decisions — on the pandemic and on Brexit — the PM showed he is a heavyweight who will stand up for Britain.

He is taking the fight to criminals too.

As part of our crime-fighting package we are hiring 20,000 more police officers, passing into law longer jail times for dangerous sexual and violent offenders and those evil enough to abuse children.

We are increasing the sentences for those who harm our brave police officers and paramedics on the front line because we feel duty bound to stand up for those who work tirelessly to keep us safe.

Labour, meanwhile, opposed our tougher sentences and our plans to hire more cops.

Ultimately, this comes down to strength of character and leadership.

We have a proud tradition of freedom and peaceful protest in Britain.

FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

But those clogging up our motorways, such as Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion, are engaged in outright sabotage, stopping people getting to work, preventing ambulances getting to the injured and sick.

The PM has proposed legislation to stop these guerrilla tactics because he is on the side of the law-abiding majority.

Keir Starmer and the Lib Dems caved into the lobby groups and voted to keep the ambulance-blockers blighting our roads.

They are weak on crime and lack the backbone to stand up for the British people, who don’t want militants putting lives and livelihoods at risk.

So, no, it has not been an easy few weeks.

The culture in No 10 needs to be addressed to meet the standards the public rightly expect.

But never forget this Prime Minister is in your corner and will always stand up for the people.

From recruiting more police to busting the NHS backlog; from fixing social care to securing higher-paid jobs; from creating more prison places to seizing the benefits of Brexit; this Government is going hell for leather to deliver on the people’s priorities.

The PM made the tough decisions to get us through the pandemic.

The economy is firing on all cylinders and violent crime has fallen 44 per cent since Labour was in office.

No one doubts he has gone through some tough rounds lately.

Yet, like a seasoned prize-fighter, every time the bell rings, this Prime Minister comes out swinging.

• Dominic Raab is Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary.