Ryan Bourne: We can never be certain of the costs and benefits of lockdowns

Overall, I still think that their re-use in the UK after the summer lull is evidence of the failure of the Government to think on the right margins.

Is Johnson under-promising on opening-up in order to over-deliver?

What a bracing springboard it would be to bounce into the local elections with normality returning faster than expected.

Robert Sutton: The protection of civil liberties must be placed at the heart of a reformed Public Health Act

The dubious legal basis for lockdown restrictions should be clarified by making its scope explicit.

The case for “doing a Sweden” runs out of steam

The country has been celebrated for its libertarian approach to Coronavirus. But its Prime Minister and even its King have since deemed this a “failure”.

Sunak opts to suck it and see

The OBR’s horrid forecasts of an output implosion and soaring unemployment will do nothing to quell Tory resistance to tougher Covid tiers.

The Government is up against the clock to justify its next set of restrictions – as the Covid Recovery Group grows

Even if the Government ends lockdown on December 2, it will be under pressure to prove why some areas should be under a tiered system.

Brave New World

We fear the worst after Cummings’ departure, but Johnson must now make the best of it. That means a Cabinet shuffle.