Boris Johnson had his work cut out. In the course of one much-hyped speech on Tuesday, he needed to relaunch his mission and regain the initiative after months of criticism over his handling of the coronavirus; he had to spell out his plan to revive the stuttering British economy; and he had to reassure his own party that he is still a true Conservative.
Over the course of his 3,800-word address, at a college in Dudley, central England, he didn’t announce a radical new spending pledge, or promise new policies that are likely to make the country forget its battle with Covid-19 for long.
