How ministers have been sowing confusion over lockdown

The lack of clarity could continue throughout the bank holiday weekend, writes Jon Stone

The government is refusing to clarify its intentions until tomorrow (Reuters)

Britain’s coronavirus lockdown is set to be eased... or perhaps it isn’t. It depends who you ask. The government is increasingly being criticised for sending out mixed messages about how long the lifting of restrictions will take.

Throughout the past week we’ve been treated to anonymous “senior government sources” quoted in various newspapers suggesting things might start to reopen.

On Thursday The Sun’​s front page ran with the headline “Happy Monday”: claiming people would be able to “go out to exercise all you like” and “sit in park 2m from your pals” as well as claiming that pubs and cafes would open their gardens.

The Daily Mail on the same day said “draconian” rules would be lifted, pronouncing “Hurrah! Lockdown freedom beckons” while the Daily Express said the government’s “stay at home” message would be axed and Britons would take their “first steps to freedom from Monday”.

Was any of this true? It certainly hadn’t been announced. Fortunately, the government holds a daily press conference, so ministers could be asked directly whether it was the case. But they have refused to be drawn on specifics – casting further confusion over the situation.

The message coming out of government is that people will have to wait until tomorrow, when the prime minister is due to make a televised address to the nation, to hear what the next steps are.

Downing Street, too, would not be drawn on specifics. A spokesperson said changes would would be “very limited”, while Mr Johnson said: “In considering whether there could be any easement of the existing guidelines, we are not going to do anything that risks a second peak. We will advance with maximum caution in order to protect the NHS and save lives.”

This is a far cry from the reports trickling out from “senior government sources”, but doesn’t really clear things up.

Interestingly, the government was warned about exactly this issue in 2017 after a training exercise showed there wasn’t really a national communications strategy in place for a pandemic. Public Health England, which wrote the report, even specifically warned that communication of particular policy initiatives needed improvement.

Yesterday, the Welsh government offered some clarity: the lockdown in Wales would be continuing, but garden centres would reopen and the “once a day” exercise rule would be relaxed from Monday. Though these new rules apply only to Wales, first minister Mark Drakeford said he wanted a “four countries” approach and for the UK to act in unison.

This strongly suggests that Boris Johnson will make a similar call in his message tomorrow. But Downing Street seems intent on not spoiling the surprise by issuing clear advice now.

“I haven’t seen details of what’s been announced,” the prime minister’s spokesperson helpfully told journalists yesterday. When it was explained what was announced, the spokesperson said that any moves the PM would outline on Sunday “will be very limited” and the government will be taking a “very cautious approach” in order to avoid a further peak in the virus. But no specifics were offered. Confusion about what’s to come is likely to continue through the bank holiday weekend.