Ex-minister "thick as mince" faces challenge from expert

Back in 2017, Dominic Cummings, who had directed the Vote Leave campaign, branded David Davis “thick as mince, lazy as a toad and vain as Narcissus”*. Now I do not believe that anyone who was an executive with Tate and Lyle, as Davis was before entering the Commons, is likely to be stupid, nor do I believe that the man who is now directing one of the laziest and deliberately most ignorant ever prime ministers can be trusted with a public character assessment. However, Davis did not noticeably disassociate himself from Michael Gove's sentiment that "the people in this country have had enough of experts".

Having seen what a botch job the non-experts, guided only by their guts or financial interests, have made of Brexit in the ensuing three years, the  people will surely feel that it is time for the experts to return. There will be a test in Davis's own constituency of Haltemprice and Howden, where Liberal Democrats have chosen Linda Johnson as his opponent at the approaching general election. She writes:
I have a background in science, having trained as a Biomedical Scientist in the NHS, moving into the pharmaceutical industry whilst in my twenties and rising to the rank of Commercial Director (also with responsibility for Government Affairs and Supply Chain) and General Manager for Ireland. I have been involved with Government and NHS working parties looking at the supply and distribution of medicines as well as testing, packaging, medicines information, bar-coding and procurement. I studied locally for most of my academic qualifications (HNC, degree and masters) whilst working full time and am now a Governor at East Riding College. I want to ensure everyone has access to educational opportunities so they can achieve their full potential.

That knowledge of the medicine supply system will be invaluable in the House, whether or not we crash out of the European Union.

 * In that same message-stream, Cummings admitted there was a chance that leaving the EU would turn out to be an “error” and described government members who thought the UK should leave the European atomic energy community Euratom as “morons”.