Caller tells Nigel Farage why Boris Johnson is right to leave lockdown updates to Sunday

7 May 2020, 19:22 | Updated: 7 May 2020, 19:34

Nigel Farage challenges caller on when PM should announce roadmap

This caller challenges Nigel Farage's view that the Prime Minister should have announced in today's briefing which lockdown measures will be eased from Monday.

Instead Dominic Raab led the press conference and said the changes Boris Johnson will announce on Sunday at 7pm will be “modest, small, incremental and very carefully monitored."

Nigel Farage said it is difficult to ascertain whether Boris Johnson is "going too quickly or too slowly" by initiating the lockdown easing strategy.

Caller Jim replied that the easing of lockdown has got to happen one day and "really it's down to all of us to be responsible."

"Do you think we're grown up enough, Jim, to be trusted a bit more?" asked Nigel, supporting the view that the Prime Minister should not wait until Sunday to tell the public which measures will be eased from Monday.

"If we haven't leant by now, we never will," said Jim, "I think he's done the right thing by leaving it until Sunday. Can you imagine tomorrow, what would it be like on the beaches?

"As it fills up, people would be saying 'that's not two metres, give us some separation'. There'd be arguments."

Nigel countered that citizens who have been keeping up with the news may well be aware that allowances such as unlimited exercise are being introduced from Monday onwards and will think "to hell with it anyway."

"That'll prove the point, won't it? That'll prove how responsible or irresponsible we are. Some people will do it anyway - as you said people are on the roads," Jim observed.

Nigel conceded that while this is an extremely difficult time, the public can be trusted with knowing the roadmap to lockdown easing earlier.

A spokesperson from Number 10 stated:

"We will not do anything that risks the progress the British public has made."