The Times: Forget mutinous Tories — it’s parents Boris Johnson fears

My daughter is back at school and touch wood, there haven’t been any cases of Covid at her school yet. They have cameras in each of the classrooms, so girls in quarantine at home can join in lessons. However several independent and state schools in London have put entire year groups or individual classes into quarantine, several days after starting back. We have friends with daughters currently confined to home school as a result.

Whatever happens at Westminster, the prime minister knows closing schools again would be political suicide.

Johnson is under pressure from the chancellor not to damage the economy

Despite enduring one of the worst weeks of his premiership, Boris Johnson is already looking ahead to the next general election.

With mutinous backbenchers muttering ominously about his competence, and even the usually loyal Spectator — a magazine of which Johnson was editor — turning on him, he is more determined than ever not to be a one-term prime minister.

But it is not the carping of his backbenchers or the right-wing press that is worrying him. It’s voters — and, in particular, parents with school-age children — who he fears could become the obstacle to him returning to Downing Street in 2024.

With the latest opinion poll for The Times yesterday showing Labour has drawn level with the Tories on 40%, No 10 has become increasingly alarmed by some of the results of its focus groups.

The prime minister visited classrooms last month to find out how schools were preparing for the new school year

“What has really cut through is the anger of parents who have already endured five months of their children being out of school,” the source said. “There was elation when the children went back at the start of September, but that has quickly turned to frustration.”

Normal winter coughs and colds are now keeping them at home again and forcing the entire family to go into self-isolation in the process. With the prospect of families, some with very small children, having to travel miles to access coronavirus tests, there is a palpable feeling of anger among parents.

With Downing Street weighing up the introduction of tougher restrictions, as the number of coronavirus cases jumped by 4,322 on Friday — the first time that daily infections have topped 4,000 for four months — the government’s top priority is to keep schools open.

“Boris is clear that schools will be the very last thing to close,” a No 10 insider said. “He knows that closing schools again will be political suicide.”

His aides are working on plans for a public information campaign aimed at informing teachers and parents about the symptoms of Covid-19. It is hoped it will stop children with runny noses being sent home and trying to access tests, which is overwhelming the system.

For the full article: Forget mutinous Tories — it’s parents Boris Johnson fears