Who said it

“With a virus this malignant, and with its capacity to move so quickly, it would be foolish to predict with absolute certainty what will happen in four weeks’ time, when over the course of the last two weeks its rate, its infectiousness and its malignancy have grown” - Michael Gove.

“It would be much better to extend this lockdown for another couple of weeks prior to the Christmas period – and then loosen the restrictions a little bit over Christmas so that people can meet up with their families. Much better to do that than remove these restrictions and then have to impose even more draconian restrictions over Christmas or soon into the New Year”

- Sage member Sir Jeremy Farrar.

“I think the virus is sublimely indifferent as to what day of the week it is and indeed whether it’s Christmas or any other festivals, so it does seem a bit unlikely that it’s going to be a completely normal Christmas, that’s for sure” - Former chief scientific adviser Sir Mark Walport.

“It’s an incredibly difficult time for business – this is a real body blow”

- Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the Confederation of British Industry.

“There is no need for a civil war in the Labour Party. I stood on a platform to unite the party and I’m determined to do that, but I also made a solemn pledge that we would root out anti-Semitism and I’m not going to shirk from difficult decisions” - Sir Keir Starmer.

“Sir Sean Connery, you were my greatest James Bond as a boy, and as a man who became James Bond himself. You cast a long shadow of cinematic splendour that will live on forever” - Pierce Brosnan.