The government debate over June 21

The roadmap out of lockdown is the signature document of Boris Johnson’s new team in No. 10. It’s intended to be cautious, detailed and based on a new mantra of under-promising and over-delivering. It’s meant to strike a contrast with the chaos that came in the early stage of the pandemic by projecting an image of competence and calm.

So far, so good. Each stage — including Monday’s easing — has proceeded as planned. The vaccine rollout has been the fastest in Europe (although the Prime Minister still complains, in private, that it could have gone faster) and is now credited by ministers as a large part of the reason the party made so many gains in the local elections. But with only one stage of the roadmap left, it now risks being derailed by the so-called Indian variant.

Downing Street had hoped to signal next week that the final unlocking of 21 June was on track to go ahead as planned.