Boris needs to start treating Brits like adults again

It turns out that the biggest problem associated with lockdown hasn’t been the ‘covidiots’ – that tiny minority of people who ignored social distancing measures – but the ‘hunker in the bunker’ brigade who, after six weeks of house arrest, can barely envisage ever returning to normal life.

Opinion polling shows the UK has one of the most risk averse populations in the world when it comes to the notion of restrictions being lifted.

Nearly three quarters of us say we will be ‘very nervous’ about leaving home when limitations on our movement are removed, according to Ipsos Mori. Another poll, from YouGov, found that 28 per cent of us don’t want lockdown lifted – even if the Government’s five tests to ease restrictions are all met in full.

As if to underline the point, the football pundit Stan Collymore has just conducted an informal poll asking the following question: ‘Your team has special dispensation to play in a full home stadium next Saturday, with an “enter at your own risk” waiver to sign pre-entry.