| Good morning, Downing Street has declined to apologise after Boris Johnson provoked anger when he suggested “too many” care homes did not properly follow procedures during the coronavirus pandemic. The Prime Minister’s comments were branded a “real slap in the face” for care workers by the Independent Care Group, while another sector leader said they were “clumsy and cowardly”. Donald Macaskill, the head of industry body Scottish Care, joined calls for Mr Johnson to apologise to the care home sector and its workforce. However, Mr Johnson's official spokesman told journalists that the PM thought care homes have done "a brilliant job" and his comments were merely intended to point out that "nobody knew" the correct procedures at the time. Message from the editor While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Your feedback is really important, please email me with any comments and suggestions at [email protected] Joy Yates Editorial Director JPIMedia Scotland | 