Is that it? I have to say that I could not imagine what he was going to say but it had not occurred to me that he was going to say virtually nothing. Of course, there was the inevitable apology but this seemed to be more an expression of regret for the hurt feelings of those members of the public for whom obeying the law had involved genuine tragedy. 

It seemed that there was, by his account, nothing to apologise for in his own behaviour because — how did it go again? — the event he attended for a mere twenty-five minutes was, strictly speaking, a work event and so “technically within the guidelines”. What? 

If forty or so of my colleagues had met for drinks and our editor had attended to do what the Prime Minister claims he was doing, thanking us for our hard work, that would have been a “work event” which was “technically within the guidelines”? Odd that such a thing never occurred to any of us at the time.

This performance was tragic, not just because there could be no excuse for what actually happened but because it now makes the genuine hard work of so many people appear irrelevant. The only story that will matter for the foreseeable future will not be the success of the vaccine rollout, the dedication of medical staff and the extraordinary conscientiousness of ordinary people in helping to counter the pandemic, but the collapse of the moral authority of the country’s leaders. 

How can the country ever again be expected to follow, with such self-sacrificing communal responsibility, regulations that emanate from people who have so blatantly flouted them? Does Boris Johnson not see that it is not just his own reputation and political future that is at stake here?

Time and time again (I’ve lost count of the number) Boris Johnson demanded that his critics wait for the findings of the independent enquiry into this matter before making their judgements. What exactly is he insinuating? That there is a magic card to be played in some great reveal by Sue Gray’s investigation which will allow him to walk free and blameless? 

What could this remarkable piece of information possibly be? And why can’t we hear it — or at least be given some sort of hint about its nature — now while the subject dominates public discourse? 

The suspicion must be that this is no more than a stonewalling exercise, that over the next few days, we will get a flurry of joyous announcements: end of Plan B, five day isolation rather than seven, safe to go back to work, blah-blah — and in the fog of euphoric relief this ghastly embarrassment will be forgotten. Then Sue Gray’s findings, which perhaps won’t amount to very much, can be released. 

But there are too many people who will never forget. Those whose parents, or spouses died alone. Those who could not attend the funerals of beloved friends. These are unforgettable and unforgivable life events. Nothing the Prime Minister can say will ever be enough to make amends and what he said today scarcely seemed like an attempt.