The Tories once said only they could keep us safe. Now they're the party of risk | Andy Beckett

With his cavalier approach to coronavirus, Boris Johnson is testing the limits of public safety. He may yet pay for it

So much has changed in Britain since the Tories took power 10 years ago. Less noticed is that the Conservative party itself has changed: from one that prioritises keeping the public safe to one happy to put us at risk.

From their cuts in police numbers to their cosy relations with Russian donors, from their apparent readiness to let Brexit threaten food and medical supplies to their lack of urgency about the climate crisis, the Conservatives have seemed increasingly cavalier about social stability, public health and national security for years. Now their approach to Covid-19 has confirmed that impression to a frightening degree.

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