Is freedom back to stay?

Boris Johnson has confirmed that most of the remaining coronavirus restrictions in England will be scrapped on 19 July.

Speaking at tonight’s Downing Street press conference (an event which should also be coming to the end of its natural life) the PM stressed that the pandemic was “far from over” but said that he was trying to move  from “government diktat” to personal responsibility.

The decree to work from home where possible will be dropped as will the “rule of six” and capacity limits in venues. The 1m-plus social distancing rule will also be scrapped along with QR code sign ins. Pub goers will be able to order a drink from the bar. One year after face masks became mandatory in England, wearing one will become voluntary.

In short, things should look much more normal, although there were no details on three crucial areas: self-isolation rules, travel restrictions and the plan for schools.

Some unions and scientists have warned that this move towards personal responsibility is misguided. While two thirds of UK adults are expected to have been vaccinated by 19 July, the BMA has called on ministers to keep some measures in place until more jabs are dished out. The Unite union, which represents many public transport workers, has called on the government to reverse its decision on face masks.

And it’s masks – the most visible sign of the pandemic – that are causing the biggest stir. A slim majority of the public say they will carry on wearing them even when they’re no longer required by law, but it remains to be seen whether mask-wearing will become a new front in a Brexit-esque culture war, a matter of good manners, or an apolitical act reflecting personal perceptions of risk.

Even though the end of lockdown is in sight, the wrangling over masks and restrictions is far from over. As deaths start to rise in the autumn there will be calls to reintroduce measures to combat Covid.

But the end of the bulk of lockdown measures in two weeks’ time should help to shift the onus to defend their position onto supporters of government interference and curbing personal freedoms. Returning to a state of near normality will allow room for a meaningful debate about the sort of country we want to live in, and whether a permanent state of emergency really is the best option. That can only be a good thing.

What’s behind the Boris mask?
 
Dominic Cummings, the PM’s former Svengali turned nemesis, has spilled more secrets about his former boss in his Substack newsletter today.
 
Perhaps the most surprising is that  Johnson claimed in 2016 that it would be “ludicrous” of him to become Prime Minister, something he “regularly admits” to colleagues. Pundits tend to assume the opposite because Boris as a child supposedly wanted to be “world king” – but when have pundits ever been right? 
 
In fact, Machiavellian Boris is not only a prolific liar, and untrustworthy to colleagues and family, but actively relishes his duplicity, according to Cummings. ‘”Behind each mask lies another mask – but there’s no masterplan behind all the masks, just the age old ‘will to power’”, he writes. It is a fact which few on the outside have grasped. “[David] Cameron was simple but portrayed as a sphinx”, says Cummings, “but with Boris it’s the opposite – Boris is complex portrayed as simple”. 
 
Downing Street has described as “inaccurate” another of Cummings’ claims: that Johnson has ignored scientific advice in his decision to press ahead with re-opening this month. The government will have plenty more defending to do – Dom’s tenner-a-month subscribers are expecting to get their money’s worth.

Troops flee Taliban
 
Over 1,000 Afghan security personnel have fled across the border with Tajikistan after clashes with the Taliban which is seizing districts across the country as the US military exodus gathers pace.  
The beleaguered band of soldiers retreated “to save their own lives”, according to the Tajikistan border guard. Hundreds more have been captured.

The speed of the Taliban advance has alarmed US military officials. It is now thought to control around a third of the country and there are concerns that the Afghan military will collapse.

The vast majority of remaining foreign forces in Afghanistan have already been withdrawn ahead of the 11 September deadline set by Joe Biden.

Robert Fox takes the long view of the allied forces’ 20-year failure in Afghanistan below.

Mattie Brignal,
News Editor