The Sue Gray report must be definitive and unambiguous or Britain faces political paralysis

No Gray area

WE can only hope the imminent Sue Gray report into parties at No10 is definitive and unambiguous. Without that, Britain faces nightmarish political paralysis.

Because, while this scandal must be brought rapidly to a head, the police’s belated decision to investigate now threatens to prolong for months the frenzied campaign to destroy Boris Johnson.

The Met’s U-turn was somewhat bizarre. For weeks the force claimed it could not probe allegations of historic lockdown breaches.

Now Met chief Cressida Dick, herself beset by scandals and failures, suddenly decides she can.

When her force investigated the Blair Government it took the best part of 18 months, albeit over far more serious accusations. A repeat is unthinkable.

We cannot afford — what with Covid, a cost-of-living crisis and a looming war in Ukraine — for all of Downing Street to be crippled by fear of a protracted police inquiry and possible fines.

This sorry saga has had the Tories on their knees since early December.

The only beneficiary of a further delay is an opportunist Labour Party which cannot disguise its glee.

Tax rise folly

THE case for April’s tax rise has vanished.

We were told it was vital to raise £12billion, initially to cut NHS waiting lists, then to fund social care.

Except £13billion now exists in the budget thanks to lower borrowing than forecast. The Government, though, ploughs on.

How can it justify the National Insurance hike this year given soaring prices and the inevitable damage to growth which ­cutting our wages will inflict?

Downing Street must not turn a deaf ear to voters, now especially.

Safety farce

IMAGINE being so fixated by health and safety you slap a speed limit on police armed response cars.

Your cops may arrive safe and sound, but too late to thwart a terrorist massacre.

Or they may have to let violent criminals they are chasing escape to avoid losing their jobs by going too fast.

We accept the problem is limited to certain powerful BMWs which need fixing or replacing. But rapid responses to 999 calls save lives.

That surely trumps anything.

Essex earls

THINK of Essex and you imagine Roman remains, castles and stately homes, right?

No, us neither. We mainly think of Joey, Chloe, fake tan, gleaming teeth and so on. And we love it for that.

As for blowing £300,000 of public money trying to reinvent the county’s image . . .

It ain’t broke. Don’t fix it.