James O'Brien takes on caller who insists Covid rule on staying local "is clear enough"
13 January 2021, 13:39
James O'Brien takes on caller who says Covid rules are "clear enough"
James O'Brien takes on this caller who insists that the Covid rule about exercise is "clear enough" - but could not explain what "staying local" means.
During Tuesday's press conference, the Home Secretary defended Boris Johnson’s decision to go on a bike ride seven miles from his No 10 home on Sunday, but she also stressed the importance of people staying local.
She told journalists that local "could not be defined", giving a response which James branded "word salad" due to its "lack of clarity."
Caller Paul questioned why Clapham High Street was "absolutely mobbed" at the weekend and claimed "a third" of the British public are disobeying the Covid rules, despite them being clear.
James said, "What you're doing is simultaneously proving the point that the rules are not crystal clear."
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"You know the rules and I know the rules," said Paul, to which James said he does not know the rules with exact clarity.
"How far away from home am I allowed to go?" James asked.
Paul admitted, "Yeah, that's the one thing" - and James responded this question is the "first thing he thought of" when hearing the new restrictions.
"Your point was you told me the rules are really clear, I told you one that wasn't," James said.
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"If there's ten million people wandering about not following the rules, tightening the rules further will only impact the people who are already doing what they're doing," Paul said, "if more people start speeding we don't put the fine up to £5,000."
James responded that we should "if we're serious" and reiterated, "You don't know what the rules are but you're adamant they're clear."
"I think they're clear enough," Paul said.
"So how far away can I go on my bike?" James said to which Paul answered, after being pushed, that you could go to your local park. James responded that this will be full of people. .
