Boris Johnson is right to let us have have our ‘freedom day’

I've previously had my concerns about an early “freedom day”, but now that the Covid-19 vaccinations are in place and being sorted out for younger people too, I think Boris Johnson is absolutely right to be bold and go for it.

Johnson has taken more tough decisions in his first two years as prime minister than many a PM has ever had to take. We must now unite as a nation and get behind him.

The Labour Party can complain from the sidelines all they like, but the bottom line is that complain from the sidelines is all Labour ever did during this pandemic. I seriously believe that come the next election, whether it be led by Keir Starmer the Charmer or Angela Rayner the Blamer, they will pay a big price.

Geoffrey Brooking

Havant

The various restrictions and rules around Covid-19 were brought in to try and reduce the death toll and reduce hospital admissions to allow the NHS to continue to treat both virus and non-virus patients without collapsing under the strain.

If the vaccine programme is now able to meet these requirements, then it is absolutely right to remove the rules, as the original justification for them no longer applies.

The question therefore is have we reached that point? The government says we have and we can only hope they are correct, as the damage of continuing restrictions is very real in many ways.

The problem we the public have is to trust the judgement of ministers, as they have a very poor track record of decision-making over how to deal with this situation.

Alan Brown

Bromborough

On 19 July, my freedom to go to a pub or restaurant in safety will be gone. My personal health choice will be to avoid such places, to stop using public transport, and to stay at home as much as possible and avoid contact with others.

I am back to March 2020, with no end in sight. So depressing.

Alan Pack

Canterbury

Is Sean O'Grady being just a little overemotional? "Deadly invisible foe" and the language of the battlefield? Really, isn't it about time this country left the nursery class and people started taking responsibility for themselves like real grown-ups?

Who knows, we might all turn out to be really, really sensible and O'Grady might just turn out to sound a little bit silly? Is this possible?

M Owen

Hockwold

On the BBC2 Newsnight programme on Monday evening, following Boris Johnson’s press conference on removing the Covid-19 restrictions, the Conservative MP Laura Farris was being interviewed on her views over the changes. Presumably echoing the views of many of her Tory backbench colleagues, she argued that she regarded the expectation to wear a mask as a huge threat to her civil liberties.

Today, there is an article in The Independent on the passing of a piece of legislation allowing the police to impose restrictions on protests based purely on noise they might make. Am I alone in being extremely disconcerted and alarmed that politicians of the ruling party of this country have such a twisted notion of what is meant by civil liberty and democratic freedom?

M T Harris

Address supplied

Most of us are only too aware of the marches – irresponsible in my opinion – protesting against masks, lockdowns and vaccines in London over the last few weeks.

Now that the end of restrictions has been confirmed for 19 July, I assume we shall see no more of such non-virtuous spectacles.

However, it did just cross my mind that pro-maskers, suitably adorned and maintaining social distance – along with pro-lockdown activists on a virtual basis – could arrange counter-marches to underline their wishes!

Whatever comes to pass, I just don’t see them attracting big-name leaders like Piers Corbyn and Larry Fox though?

On second thoughts, this could just be what tips things in their favour!

Robert Boston

Kingshill