United, we have borne the pain. Now we must have a route to freedom

AFTER much pain, suffering and loss, the lockdown appears at last to be working, and the grim figures of infections and deaths are moving in the right direction. People and Prime Minister together have, through strong leadership and determined, responsible behaviour, achieved much.

There is reason to begin to feel hopeful, and to imagine a time when these irksome and expensive restrictions can start to be lifted.

But just as spirits rise, there seems to be a sense of drift from inside the Government. There is no clear sign of a strategy to guide the nation back to normal. Leaks from inside Whitehall suggest that senior Ministers, in the absence of Boris Johnson, are reluctant to take any major decisions.

This is not acceptable in one of the largest economies in the world, especially when the cessation of much of the economy is costing an estimated £2.4 billion a day. We simply cannot afford to neglect planning for the future. While the latest extension of the shutdown was unavoidable, the position three weeks from now will be quite different.

Two distinguished political figures of Left and Right, the new Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and the former Tory Cabinet Minister David Davis, have entered the debate.

Sir Keir, while rightly avoiding any hint of partisan politics, reasonably calls for clarity about what is to happen next. Mr Davis suggests our efforts be concentrated on protecting the most vulnerable. He also warns we must not kill off our economy, and sets out serious plans for reviving business.

These general points should certainly be discussed now by the Cabinet. But detailed and rational moves for reopening the country should also be under discussion.

To avoid irreparable damage to the education of our children, a plan must soon be made for the reopening of Britain’s schools, as has already been formulated in Scotland.

As always, it is the less welloff who are suffering most from this closure.

And then there are anomalies in the retail world. For example, if supermarkets can remain open (and sell plants), why not garden centres, where social distancing could easily be observed? Likewise DIY stores could surely be able to open up safely. Humans naturally want to beautify their own home space, and now is an opportunity to do so, which many could take, to the benefit of the economy.

If this crisis has shown anything, it has revealed that the overwhelming majority are sensible, responsible citizens who can be trusted to make their own decisions to obey reasonable and worthwhile requests.

Social distancing works in this country, spectacularly well, because the British public have resolved to make it work for the general good. So let us have more trust, and less hectoring.

For there is a danger, faint now but easily increased by inaction, that people will get fed up with being confined to their homes, and even more fed up with watching businesses built up over years with love and hard work, going down the drain.

It is clear the idea that we must remain in our homes for months to come is not practical and cannot be indefinitely sustained.

The Government needs to offer a vision of a way back to a free and normal life.

The people of this remarkably United Kingdom need to see a plan that will lead, step by calm step, to a time when our society can grow and flourish again. The drift must stop.