I write this on the early morning train into Westminster. Even at this ungodly hour, I am surprised by how many more people appear to be commuting into London, how much busier the trains are and the efforts that everyone is consciously making to ensure social distancing throughout the carriage.
You’ve got to take your hat off to the Secretary of State for Defence. With speculation rising to fever pitch ahead of the imminent publication of the Integrated Review of security, defence, development and foreign policy, hardly a day goes by without yet another story appearing in the national press about what is being cut from the Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force.
As the Armed Forces Bill weaves its way through Parliament, MPs must make the most of this vital opportunity to reflect on the strengths and needs of our Armed Forces by ensuring that this new legislation is fit for purpose.
2020 has been awful for so many. Every time it gets worse, you hope to wake up as if from some bad dream. But no, with almost 70,000 excess deaths this year from Covid-19, the nightmare is real, and it is impossible to conceive of how much worse this would have been without the restrictions in place.