Now Boris Johnson should be really worried: Labour is offering to support him

Wes Streeting, the new shadow health secretary, offered the opposition’s help to put coronavirus passports on the statute book, writes John Rentoul

Wes Streeting (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The moment a prime minister has to worry is when the opposition offers its support to overcome opposition from the government back benches. One of those rare moments occurred last night, when Sajid Javid, the health secretary, was forced to go to the House of Commons to make a statement about the new coronavirus rules at the same time as the prime minister was speaking in Downing Street.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, has been so annoyed about ministers making announcements outside parliament that we now have a system by which a secretary of state has to provide a simultaneous translation service in parliament while Boris Johnson is speaking across the road.

This gave Wes Streeting, Javid’s new Labour shadow, his chance. “I want to be clear with the House and the country that Labour will support these measures in the national interest,” he said.