Britain is in need of a morale boost – and I’ve found mine in an unexpected place

Former Spurs captain Gary Mabbutt and his calls to fans of the team have cheered me up far more than Boris Johnson has, writes Janet Street-Porter

Boris Johnson has provided little cheer during the last few months (PA)

Winter seems to have arrived early – I woke to a howling gale and lashing rain tearing petals off the last few roses, sending apples and over-ripe plums to the ground. Where’s the sun?

It’s not just the weather that’s hit the buffers. Earlier in the week, Boris Johnson tried (and failed) to sound like a calm and confident leader as he issued the bad news – more confinement.  

Most of us (understandably) feel cheesed off, having been granted a few weeks of respite (and warm weather) as children returned to school, teenagers started at university and we followed government advice and returned to work. Cruelly, this late-summer sunshine suddenly ended as the government executed another reverse shunt, dashing our spirits with talk of six months of misery, and hints that Christmas plans should be put back in the pending file.