THE shifting of the blame for the Covid death toll onto the public from some government ministers was very noticeable this week.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said "most of the public” are complying with the restrictions, but then highlighted those who were "putting the health of the nation at risk by not following the rules”.

Let's get it absolutely right, the overwhelming majority have followed the rules throughout, despite them changing 64 times.

But the Cummings affair gave the few rulebreakers the green light to do what they wanted.

Remember the Prime Minister's 'He did what any father would have done'?

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The key reason we are where we are now, day after day of more than 1,200 deaths being announced, is due to the actions of the government.

Primarily, constantly being slow to act and not going far enough when they did.

For example we are only now seeing the travel ban to stop the Brazilian variant, days after it should have been implemented.

The delay meant it gave more time for it to come into the country, and sure enough scientists said on Friday it was here.

The good news is the vaccination programme appears, so far, to be a success.

That's why the contrast, to be simultaneously seeing the NHS stretched to the limit, is even more unacceptable.