Robert Peston Robert Peston

Boris Johnson’s confusing lockdown rule change

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The miracle achieved by Boris Johnson’s 50-page ‘Plan to rebuild” strategy for ‘Covid-19 recovery’ is that somehow the PM succeeded in alienating the leaders of Wales and Scotland and create an apparent rift between the nations, when the liberation from lockdown he is offering the people of England is so slight as to be barely perceptible.

There is a tonal shift in respect of work, namely that the PM would like to see businesses that are not on the proscribed list, such as factories and building sites, operating again. But that’s a wish, not an order. And the overarching message is unchanged, namely that it is far better to work from home where that is possible.

In other words, the PM would much prefer Nissan motorcars to be handcrafted in workers’ front rooms. But since that is unlikely to be feasible any time soon, he would nudge car-workers back to the production line, so long as they and their robots can be insulated from the virus.

As for the long lost social side of our lives, we are now permitted to play singles tennis, but not doubles (unless all four of you live in the same house). We can still go out for walks with everyone who lives with us, but the other members of our households have to make themselves scarce if in the course of the excursion we meet and stop to chat with our respective mums. And if mum happens to be out with dad, one of them has to hop off if a chance meeting turns into a serious encounter.

Oh, and you can drive to the other side of the country if it takes your fancy, but you have to be home before bedtime: overnight stays are still banned anywhere but your own bed.

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Robert Peston
Written by
Robert Peston
Robert Peston is Political Editor of ITV News and host of the weekly political discussion show Peston. His articles originally appeared on his ITV News blog.

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