From the beginning of the pandemic the Government has insisted it has been guided by the science.
We were told any decisions on the lifting of lockdown would be driven by data, not dates.
Boris Johnson’s announcement today makes clear this is no longer the case.
He has chosen to press ahead with ditching all Covid curbs in England even though cases are rising and it will lead to more deaths.
This is a major gamble that flies in the face of Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty’s warning that we are still in the middle of an epidemic.
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Everyone understands there is a difficult judgment call to be made between containing the virus and the impact the restrictions have on the economy, firms and people’s wellbeing.
But Mr Johnson’s rush to meet his July 19 deadline could force people back to work even if their workplace is not safe, could increase the rate of transmission and could leave thousands more susceptible to long Covid.
Scrapping masks will put shop workers, bus and taxi drivers and bar staff at greater risk.
The Prime Minister should not be gambling with people’s lives, but protecting them.
Gavin’ a laugh
England's schoolchildren deserve better than Gavin Williamson.
The Education Secretary has bungled the A-level assessments, botched the reopening of schools and failed to secure adequate funding to help pupils catch up with lost learning.
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In the last year, pupils in Year 10 have missed one in four days of face-to-face teaching.
The grading system for GCSEs will need to reflect this disruption, but Mr Williamson has not given any guidance to schools on how they should assess pupils’ work.
Yet again he fails to learn from his mistakes.
Eur worth it
Tickets for England vs Denmark are changing hands for thousands of pounds.
The cost will be beyond most people’s reach – but the chance to see the Three Lions reach the Euro 2020 final would be priceless.
