EARLIER this week, French president Emmanuel Macron made his fourth televised address of this crisis.

And he took that opportunity to apologise to his country for the shortages in PPE and other essential materials. An extraordinary mea culpa.

Compare his response to that of Priti Patel, the current Home Secretary. After the Government was forced to send out search parties for the senior Cabinet Minister, the Home Secretary sallied forth to declare to the nation that she was “sorry if people feel that there have been failings”.

The search parties were promptly disbanded.

I don’t want to make any partisan point. The issue of PPE supplies to frontline staff in social care and the NHS has to be resolved, and quickly.

Equally, I’m not going to join in a growing chorus of blame. Undoubtedly, as the French president said of his own nation, the UK was not as prepared as it would like to have been – but the same is true across the board.

The efforts of the Government right now should be on delivering PPE as soon as possible, and delivering 100,000 tests a day.

But, the humility and honesty which Macron displayed is the precise attitude that we need.

People are frightened and scared, anxious about the future, and increasingly worried that stir crazy is about to set in.

We all appreciate that these are truly unprecedented times, and that the nature of the virus is outwith our control for the time being. That kind of humility can go a long way to maintaining faith and trust in the UK’s latest strategy to fight coronavirus.

It’s this kind of leadership that’s being demonstrated elsewhere in the world.

Jacinda Ardern has won plaudits and praise from across the globe for her handling of the crisis – but crucially, she won the trust of her country and took them with her.

With determination and empathy, she has laid out a plan for New Zealand, and New Zealand has bought into it. (And I was also delighted that she declared the Easter Bunny to be a key worker, and that the initiative was picked up by Councillor Eva Murray and the Lord Provost here in Glasgow.)

German chancellor Angela Merkel, in typical fashion, pursued a strategy of mass-testing from the get-go.

After two decades at the top of her party, Merkel is still able to present an almost perfect image of safety and stability. A cool head in times of crisis.

Compare these styles of leadership to the current occupant of the White House, who has chosen this moment to double down on attacking the press and the World Health Organisation, or even the response across the UK.

This is a hugely difficult time for everyone, and those in charge have difficult choices to make. But our First Minister, and those currently standing in for our Prime Minister, should learn from others. Excellent examples around the world of leaders being clear, honest, empathetic and decisive.

That’s exactly what we need right now.